Last month’s weather in Otago kept everybody happy, when the region achieved the rare feat of recording New Zealand’s hottest and coldest temperatures of April 2026.
Earth Sciences New Zealand meteorologist Jon Tunster said April 2026 continued the theme of the year so far, with slow-moving high pressure systems alternating with significant depressions.
The first of these was Cyclone Vaianu in the middle of the month, closely followed by a much broader and more complex low pressure system a week later.
‘‘The overall monthly anomaly comprised higher-than-normal air pressure to the east of the country, and lower-than-normal air pressure just west of the country, leading to a northeasterly circulation anomaly over New Zealand.’’
At the same time, El Nino Southern Oscillation (Enso) neutral conditions continued through the month, but La Nina-like weather patterns persisted, he said.
That meant temperatures during April were above average in Otago and Southland, and ‘‘well above average’’ for isolated spots in southern regions.
Otago recorded the highest New Zealand temperature of April 2026 when the mercury hit 28.3°C in Alexandra on April 2.
Mr Tunster said it was also its third-highest April temperature recorded since 1928.
The lowest New Zealand April 2026 temperature was also recorded in Otago, when it dropped to -5.0°C in Middlemarch on April 23 — its second-equal lowest April temperature on record.
‘‘Temperatures for the six main centres were mostly near average or slightly above average, though Dunedin notably had a warm month,’’ he said.
The city recorded a mean temperature of 13.1°C during April — 1.3°C above average.
The nationwide average temperature in April 2026 was 14°C, which was 0.6°C above the 1991-2020 April average.
Rainfall was below normal or well below normal for parts of Southland and much of Otago, and near normal across the rest of the South Island.
Dunedin’s rainfall was well below average, with just 30mm recorded — half of its usual rainfall for April.
‘‘The nationwide rainfall pattern was highly dependent on Cyclone Vaianu and the broad low pressure system that followed a week later.
‘‘This created a distinctive rainfall anomaly for the month, where some locations received significant rainfall amounts from the systems in succession, while others — sometimes quite nearby — received little, to nothing.
‘‘Rainfall covered a wide range, with the lower South Island centres being very dry.’’
By the end of April, soil moisture levels were left lower than normal in parts of Otago, higher than normal across Clutha, and near normal for the rest of the southern regions, he said.
By many accounts, April was the summer the regions never got this year.
