Our forecasts to you about January’s weather were very simple – high and dry.
A rainmaker on the final day of the month stopped a lot of records from being broken, with areas in Auckland getting over 30mm of rain after a month of nothing for some areas.

“January was dry due to the highs being parked over NZ – as simple as that” says WeatherWatch.co.nz Head Analyst Philip Dunan.

“With February arriving we have a change in our weather pattern – one that sees that high pressure easing a bit for the first week of the month anyway, and a low moving in with rain in the forecast for some regions for more than half of the first week.

“There will be spillover into the driest regions – Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough and Wairarapa. Not a drought ender – but welcome” said Philip Duncan.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz

– Photo: Chris Johnson, WeatherWatch file