Dunedin was the coldest of New Zealand's main centres last month, but many would struggle to believe it experienced the near-normal sunshine hours the records show.
Around the country, January was an unsettled month - wet, slightly cool and extremely cloudy - the National Institute of Atmospheric Research (Niwa) national climate summary says.
However, Dunedin had 171 sunshine hours, 96% of normal.
The city's rainfall, 69mm, was also near normal but its mean temperature was below average at 14.3degC.
It also recorded its second-lowest mean minimum daily air temperature since records began in 1947, of 8.6degC.
Of the other main centres, Tauranga was the warmest and sunniest, Hamilton the wettest and Christchurch the driest.
The New Zealand average temperature was 16.7degC, 0.4% below average.
Oamaru was the only town in Otago to reach near-record low rainfall for the month.
It received 18mm (35% of normal), its fourth lowest rainfall since records began in 1898.
Cromwell recorded its third lowest sunshine hours since 1979 with 214, 89% of normal, and it and Alexandra recorded their second highest one-day rain totals of 48mm and 39mm respectively, on the 21st, when thunderstorms and a complex low produced intense rain.
Near-record daily maximum air temperatures were recorded on January 8, at Dunedin 12degC (third lowest), Queenstown 11degC (equal third lowest) and Balclutha at Telford 11.8degC (equal fourth lowest).
South Otago made the records for mean maximum daily air temperatures, with Balclutha at Telford recording 17.7degC (-2.4 from normal).
