One hot day has turned Dunedin’s January around, after it was on track to be the second-coldest on record.
Dunedin and other towns still shivered in the cold with well below average temperatures for the month, but a hot January 31 when the temperature exceeded 30degC meant fewer records were made.
Niwa data showed that Clyde, with an average of 15degC, still had the second-coldest January on record and Balclutha and Wanaka both had their fourth-coldest January.
Until January 29, Dunedin, with an average of 13.4degC, was also on track for its second-coldest January, but the average was pushed up to 13.7degC by the end of the month.
The month was also much wetter than usual in most places. Balclutha’s 135mm of rain was almost twice the monthly average, and the fourth-highest rainfall on record for the month.
Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said that the hot last day of January did not stop the month from being awful.
"One day, especially when it’s really hot, can make a difference, but I think it will be remembered for the chilly weather that it brought," Mr Noll said.
February was looking as if it would be warmer, with a mixed start and more settled weather likely in the second half.
