Chilly October breaks record

Those who thought they were colder than normal in October were right, with figures showing it was the coldest October for more than half a century.

Niwa figures show that it was also wetter than normal in many parts of the country, although the South Island's West Coast bucked the trend and basked in sunshine.

The climate summary for the month, released today, showed October was the coldest in 64 years, "with all-time record low October temperatures in many areas".

Record lows were recorded on October 4 and 5 across most of the North Island, and on October 9 in many parts of the South Island.

"Exceptionally" late snowfall contributed to the cold, Niwa said.

The unseasonal dumps froze the central North Island and Hawke's Bay, with Niwa saying it was thought to be the worst in October since 1967.

Hundreds of travellers were left stranded and had to be evacuated from the Napier-Taupo road, prompting Civil Defence to declare a state of emergency.

Farmers were also affected by heavy lambing losses.

As well as the cold, rainfall was one and a half times normal on the East Coast of the North Island as well as Wellington, Marlborough and parts of Canterbury.

Rainfall almost doubled in parts of Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and the Tararua Ranges.

The MetService said the poor weather was due to lower than normal pressures and the prevalence of southerly winds.

The West Coast and Fiordland meanwhile had 25 percent more sunshine than normal.