January 2018 looks to be the hottest in New Zealand’s recorded history.Climate scientist Jim Salinger said if the average temperature for the month slid up only half a degree, it might be the hottest month since records began.
The average January temperature is 17.1degC. The average so far for January 2018 is 19.3degC - the hottest since 1909.
Though temperatures stay warm over NZ today with the northerly flow, rain is in store for most of the North Island.
The second-warmest January was in 1956, when the average was 18.8degC.
Mr Salinger had downloaded the climate data from Niwa’s stations used to calculate New Zealand’s average temperature, located at Auckland Airport, Kelburn in Wellington, Masterton Airport, Hokitika Airport, Nelson, Lincoln near Christchurch, and Musselburgh, Dunedin.
With 10 days left in January, the average temperature was unlikely to drop given there were no ‘‘cool southerlies in the weather projections’’.
There was also a possibility January could become the hottest month on record. At present that position is held by February 1998, with 19.6degC.
