How hot has it got: Delving into the record books

Tuesday, 16 January 2018

We asked Niwa the highest temperatures towns and cities of New Zealand have hit.

As our searing summer rolls into 2018, it seems like every week a record goes tumbling to force a rewrite of the record books.

On Sunday it was Invercargill's turn when it soared to a record-setting 32.3 degrees Celsius - the hottest since records began in 1905 - and on Monday Dunedin's sweltering heat tested a record held for over 40 years.

It got us thinking, how hot has it got?

New Zealand's highest temperature measured almost 15C less than the world's hottest of 56.7C, recorded on July 10, 1913, at Furnace Creek Ranch in California.

So we asked Niwa to delve into the record books and find the top temperatures from the country's main centres.

* 2017 set to break records for extreme weather

* Cromwell in Central Otago heats up the record book

* Arctic blast that swept through east coast of the US breaks cold temperature records

* Fires, dead chooks and heat exhaustion on New Zealand's hottest day**

Outside of the main centres in the North Island, the hottest temperature recorded was 39.2C in Ruatoria on 7 February 1973.

On that very same day the South Island's Rangiora hit New Zealand's highest temperature ever recorded - 42.4C.

AUCKLAND

The record books were first opened in the City of Sails in 1959, and since then the temperature has reached 30.5C twice - on the same day for two years running.

In 1998 Mangere reached the record on February 3, and in 1999 at Auckland Airport on February 3.

HAMILTON

The oldest record from the main centres belongs to Hamilton. On 29 December 1948 the rural suburb of Rukuhia reached 31.6C, only two years after records began in 1946.

TAURANGA

Nearly two weeks into 1983 Bay of Plenty's most populous city reached its record high: 33.7C at Tauranga Airport on January 11. Records have been kept since 1941.

WELLINGTON

New Zealand's capital has been keeping records since 1927, and has twice hit 30.1C. In the central suburb of Kelburn the record high was reached on 5 January 1975 and 9 February 1982.

CHRISTCHURCH

Records have been kept in the Garden City since 1863, and it can lay claim to holding the record for the hottest temperature of all the main centres. On 7 February 1973 the city's Christchurch Gardens sweltered at 41.6C.

DUNEDIN

In the southeastern suburb of Musselburgh, Dunedin reached its record high of 35.7C on 27 January 1981. Records date back to 1947.

RECORDS KEEP ON BREAKING

In 2017 the average air temperature nationwide was 13.15C, about 0.5C above the long-term average. That made it the fifth warmest year since 1909, beaten by 2016, 2013, 1999 and 1998.

New Zealand's warmest year on record was in 2016, where above average temperatures throughout the country made it the warmest year since records began in 1909.

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