Stuff
Blenheim has lots of blue sky during an unseasonably sunny July.
Blenheim recorded its hottest July day on record last month when the mercury hit a balmy 19.8C on July 18 – just as Earth was experiencing its hottest month since records began.
The town also experienced its sunniest July in three years, and the fifth-sunniest on record, with 196.4 hours of sunshine recorded throughout the month.
As a result, Blenheim had below average rainfall with just 24mm recorded throughout July, about a third of the 68.8mm long-term average for the month.
Rob Agnew, scientist at Plant & Food Research Marlborough, said many days in July entered the climate record books.
“It is fairly remarkable that four days in July 2023 are among the warmest July days on record,” he said.
Agnew noted that nine of the 14 warmest Julys on record were between 2000 and 2023. The record started in 1947.
He said Julys were continuing to have a run of above average mean temperatures and the last time July had a below average mean temperature was eight years ago, in 2015.
All of this sat in stark contrast to the weather at the same time last year when Blenheim suffered its wettest month on record, when 220.6mm worth of rain fell over the same period, resulting in the town experiencing its second-lowest sunshine hours for July since records began with just 116 hours.
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Scientists are warning July is “virtually certain” to be the planet’s hottest ever month on record.
With last year’s cloud cover and heavy rains absent, there were considerably more frosts this July than there were last July with 16 ground and 8 air frosts being recorded throughout the month, up from 10 and 1 respectively in 2022.
So far, Agnew said it had been a dry start to the winter with Blenheim experiencing two months of low rainfall compared to previous years and the long-term average.
He said only 46mm of rain fell over June and July – 34% of the long-term average – something that could have an impact on the region’s farmers.
Stuff
Rob Agnew says it has been a dry winter so far and a bit of rain wouldn’t go amiss for the region’s farmers.
“Dryland pastoral farmers in Marlborough rely on good rainfall in the late autumn, winter and early spring, to recharge soil moisture and to ensure good spring pasture growth.
“Evenly spread and above average rainfall in August would undoubtedly be welcomed by the farming community, so long as we don’t receive any large damaging rain events,” he said.
