The West Coast has sizzled its way into the record books, Hokitika recording its driest March on record.
"We got 35.2mm in our gauge at the airport — smashing the (now second place) March record 40.1mm of 1991. Records go back to 1964 at that station," MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said.
What makes the past month all the more remarkable, is it comes on the back of the second-wettest February on record, which followed the driest January on record in Hokitika.
"This March actually looks like the fourth-driest month on record there," Mr Ferris said.
Greymouth recorded 243 hours of sunshine in March, compared with just 165.8 hours in Christchurch.
The long, warm March has captured the attention of Niwa, which now includes the Grey district in its weekly hot spot watch. Usually, the weekly maps feature places like Canterbury and Blenheim.
Niwa said the driest soils in the South Island, when compared with normal for the time of the year, were in southern Southland, Stewart Island, and in the Grey district.
It said a few fronts might bring modest rainfall to the driest areas in the south and west, 25mm-50mm of rain looking likely along the West Coast next week. — The Grey Star
