We're losing our sunshine crown

Marlborough's sunshine crown looks likely to be Nelson's by the end of this year after the fifth-wettest October since 1930.

Plant&Food Research scientist Rob Agnew said Nelson recorded 225.6 sunshine hours in October, 12.4 hours more than Blenheim.

"It is now almost certain that Nelson will regain the sunshine title in 2009, as at the end of October Nelson is 71 hours ahead of Blenheim," Mr Agnew said.

He said it rained in Blenheim on 13 days in October, totalling 115.4 millimetres.

On the wettest day – October 8 – 42.2mm of rain fell, 37 per cent of the month's total.

Mr Agnew said it was the fourth October in a row to have recorded well above the average rainfall, and the fifth-wettest October on record in Blenheim in 80 years. The wettest year was 2001 with 161mm. October 2008 had 73.4mm of rain, October 2007 had 90.8mm of rain and 83.4mm fell in October 2006.

Winter coats were definitely not ready for storage this October, with a mean temperature of 11.4 degrees Celsius, putting us below the long-term average temperature of 12.7C and making it the coldest since 1992, Mr Agnew said. October last year and in 2007 were nearly 2C warmer at 13C.

The coolest October on record was in 1945, which recorded an average of 9.8C, followed in October 1946 with the second coolest at 10.8C.

Mr Agnew said two ground frosts were recorded during October, equal to the average over the past 22 years. No air frosts were recorded during October.

Thanks to all the rain and the less than tropical temperatures, soil moisture levels stayed high, at 39 per cent at a depth of 5-35 centimetres at Grovetown, which Mr Agnew said was in keeping with the last few years. This was in contrast to October 2002, when only 15.2mm of rain fell and soil moisture was only 20 per cent.

Mr Agnew said the average temperature for November was normally 2C higher than for October and solar radiation and wind run was also a lot higher, so pastures use more water and dry out faster without rainfall.

Wind run recorded in October this year was very low at 238.4kmh. October 2008 was also low. In contrast, October 2007 recorded an average daily wind run of 385.7kmh.

Average wind speed in October 2009 was 9.9kmh; in October 2007 it was 16.1kmh.