Wellington wettest in 'seesaw' year

In a year of weather extremes, Wellington stood out as the wettest main centre last year.

The capital also had snow on the south coast, a Hutt Valley train derailing because of a landslide and its coldest June temperature on record before the year was out.

Nationally, the outlook was so variable that Niwa climate experts have dubbed it the year of the "seesaw" when it came to temperature, according to its 2009 climate summary.

Unlike the beginning of this year, 2009 dawned with two scorching months, with many areas recording temperatures above 34 degrees celsius. But the golden weather was short-lived, with the heatwaves making way for the coldest May on record.

In Wellington, strong winds cut power to 2500 homes in Karori and Makara on May 15, with another 1200 homes in Upper Hutt in the dark on the 23rd and 24th. Flights out of the city and ferries were also cancelled, roads were closed and boats came off their moorings because of the May buffeting.

But the biggest surprise of all was saved for the last day of the month, when snow fell to sea level on Wellington's south coast.

Winter continued in the same vein around the country, with heavy snowfall, low temperatures and a series of avalanches in the South Island.

Wellington recorded its lowest June temperature on record, slipping below freezing point with 0.6C on the 8th.

A nasty storm in July caused a train, with 300 passengers on board, to be stranded after derailing north of Upper Hutt. On the same day, a slip at Pukerua Bay stopped traffic on State Highway 1, five houses in Silverstream were evacuated and the Eastern Hutt Rd was under a metre of water.

Some of the worst weather was yet to come though, with heavy snows in October stranding hundreds of travellers on the Napier-Taupo Road and causing the deaths of newborn lambs.

But not every month was so grim – throughout the country it was the warmest August on record, and sunshine totals in December were higher than normal.

By the end of the year, Wellington had topped the rainfall totals of the main centres, with 1274 millimetres during the year.

The city's 2079 sunshine hours were lower than all its rivals, apart from Dunedin, which recorded only 1704 hours.

- © Fairfax NZ News