April was a welcome relief for Wanganui after a very dry summer, with the city experiencing an unusually warm and wet month.
Niwa meteorologist Chris Brandolino said Wanganui received 118mm of rain during April, or 164 per cent of the April average. It was a huge increase on March's rainfall total of 8.6mm, which was the second driest March recorded in Wanganui since records began in 1890.
Mr Brandolino said Wanganui's temperatures for April hadn't broken any records but there were several "near records".
On April 18, Wanganui's maximum temperature reached 27.1C, which is the fourth-highest temperature recorded in Wanganui during April since records began in 1937. The overnight low temperatures were also unusually low - at a mean of 12.6C that's 2.3C above the average for April, and the fourth highest temperature since records began.
Mr Brandolino said April's rain provided welcome relief to very dry areas throughout the North Island.