Climate
Invercargill has a temperate oceanic climate similar to that of the British Isles. The mean daily temperature ranges from 5.2 °C in July to 14 °C in January. The yearly mean temperature is 9.9 °C. Rainfall averages 1112 mm annually, and measurable snowfall is occasionally seen during the winter months of June to September. It is located in the cloudiest area of New Zealand with 1580 hours of sunshine per annum. Despite its cloudiness, and a relatively high frequency of rainy days, Invercargill receives less rain than either Auckland or Wellington. Invercargill is also New Zealand's second windiest city, after Wellington.
The average temperature high ranges from 18.7 °C in January to 9.5 °C in July, but temperatures do occasionally exceed 25 °C in summer with a recorded extreme of 32.2 °C. Owing to its relatively high latitude (46° 42'), the city enjoys nearly 16 hours of daylight at the summer solstice in late December. Conversely, the city receives only around 8 hours of daylight at the winter solstice in late June.
Invercargill is "The City of Water and Light". This refers to the long summer twilights and the aurora australis (southern lights). The water reference, humorists suggest, comes from notorious horizontal, driving rain in high wind at the corner of the two main streets, Dee and Tay. A recent sign also states "Invercargill, where dreams can come true" with an image from the 2005 film The World's Fastest Indian.
In September 2010, Invercargill's heaviest snowfall in living memory heralded a run of unseasonably cold weather. A few buildings were damaged, notably Stadium Southland, the roof of which collapsed under the weight of the snow; and a decorating store. Many other stores were shut, and Invercargill Airport was closed for a day.
| Climate data for Invercargill | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 18.6 (65.5) |
18.8 (65.8) |
17.2 (63.0) |
15 (59) |
12.2 (54.0) |
9.7 (49.5) |
9.5 (49.1) |
11 (52) |
12.9 (55.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
17.5 (63.5) |
14.4 (57.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) |
9.1 (48.4) |
7.7 (45.9) |
5.8 (42.4) |
3.7 (38.7) |
1.5 (34.7) |
0.9 (33.6) |
1.9 (35.4) |
3.7 (38.7) |
5.5 (41.9) |
6.8 (44.2) |
8.4 (47.1) |
5.4 (41.7) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 114 (4.49) |
79 (3.11) |
94 (3.7) |
100 (3.94) |
114 (4.49) |
99 (3.9) |
88 (3.46) |
71 (2.8) |
80 (3.15) |
95 (3.74) |
81 (3.19) |
100 (3.94) |
1,112 (43.78) |
| Source: NIWA Climate Data | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Otepuni Gardens
Famous quotes containing the word climate:
“Ghosts, we hope, may be always with us—that is, never too far out of the reach of fancy. On the whole, it would seem they adapt themselves well, perhaps better than we do, to changing world conditions—they enlarge their domain, shift their hold on our nerves, and, dispossessed of one habitat, set up house in another. The universal battiness of our century looks like providing them with a propitious climate ...”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)
“Culture is the name for what people are interested in, their thoughts, their models, the books they read and the speeches they hear, their table-talk, gossip, controversies, historical sense and scientific training, the values they appreciate, the quality of life they admire. All communities have a culture. It is the climate of their civilization.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)
“There is much to be said against the climate on the coast of British Columbia and Alaska; yet, I believe that the scenery of one good day will compensate the tourists who will go there in increasing numbers.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)