My May
Temperature: A mean temperature of 9.3C, the same mean temperature as May 2005. Warmest day was the 27th with 17.7C. I recorded first air frost of the year on the 13th with -0.8C. The coldest temperature was -1.6C on the 16th. The warmest May I have recorded 2004 with a mean temp of 10.5C and the coldest was 2001 with a mean temp of 7.5C
Wind: The monthly wind run of 4202km is above the average of 3841km for the last 4 Mays I have wind data for. Prevailing wind direction was south recorded 40% of the month, north east 37% and north 12%. Maximum gust was 59km/h from the south on the 12th. The windiest May I've recorded is 2004 with 4483km of wind and the least was May 2003 with 3185km.
Rainfall: 75.2mm recorded on the 12th was a record daily total for my weather station. It just beats 73.4mm on the 6th August 2004. The mean rainfall for May based on my 2000 to 2005 records is 72.2mm. This May's total of 159.4mm is 220% (2.2 times) the expected rainfall for May at my station.
Barometer: The highest pressure for the month was recorded on the 19th with 1034.4hPa, the lowest 988.0hPa on the 14th.
| May 2006 Summary Temperature |
|
|---|---|
| Mean | 9.3 C |
| Mean Maximum | 13.3 C |
| Mean Minimum | 5.4 C |
| Maximum High | 17.7 C (27th) |
| Maximum Low | 11.5 C (26th) |
| Minimum High | 9.4 C (23rd) |
| Minimum Low | -1.6 C (16th) |
| Wind Speed and Direction | |
| Maximum Gust | 59 km/h (12th) |
| Mean | 5.7 km/h |
| Wind Run | 4202 km |
| Max Daily Windrun | 402 km (12th) |
| Prevailing Direction | South |
| Barometer | |
| Maximum | 1034.4 hPa (19th) |
| Minimum | 988.0 hPa (14th) |
| Mean | 1013.6 hPa |
| Max Daily Change | -14.8 hPa (26th) |
| Rainfall | |
| Days with Measured Rainfall | 15 |
| Max Daily Rainfall | 74.6 mm (12th) |
| Monthly Rainfall | 159.4 mm |
| Humidity | |
| Maximum | 99 % (several days) |
| Minimum | 46 % (16th) |
| May Daily Observations | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Wind | Rainfall | Barometer | |||||||||
| Date | Min | Max | Mean | Mean (Km/h) | Gust (Km/h) | Run (km) | Prevailing Dir | 10 Minute Max (mm) | Total (mm) | Min (hPa) | Max (hPa) | Change (hPa) |
| 1 | 5.9 | 14.1 | 9.6 | 2.6 | 21 | 62 | South | 0 | 0 | 1007.5 | 1010.7 | -3.2 |
| Fog clearing late morning. Partly cloudy for much of the afternoon with cloud increasing in the evening. | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 8.8 | 12.9 | 10.3 | 0.6 | 13 | 16 | South | 1.2 | 2.2 | 1008.9 | 1010.2 | +1.3 |
| Overcast with a shower early afternoon. Drizzle in the evening. Little wind. | ||||||||||||
| 3 | 3.9 | 14.4 | 9.7 | 3.5 | 24 | 83 | North East | 0 | 0 | 1007.5 | 1010.0 | -2.5 |
| Cloud clearing by mid afternoon to a sunny day with NE winds. Cool in the evening. | ||||||||||||
| 4 | 2.1 | 14.2 | 9.5 | 8.1 | 39 | 191 | North East | 0 | 0 | 1001.0 | 1008.2 | -7.2 |
| Low cloud around the Port Hills with some sunny breaks. Cool NE wind. | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 8.9 | 14.7 | 11.0 | 7.2 | 31 | 169 | South | 0 | 0 | 1003.4 | 1010.2 | +6.8 |
| Variable cloud with some sunny itervals. Cool southerly wind. | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 5.3 | 14.9 | 9.8 | 3.8 | 23 | 91 | South | 0 | 0 | 1009.9 | 1015.9 | +6.0 |
| Cloud finally clearing late afternoon. Cool southerly breeze. | ||||||||||||
| 7 | 4.4 | 12.6 | 9.4 | 3.8 | 24 | 91 | South | 0 | 0 | 1016.1 | 1024.3 | +8.2 |
| Overcast with a cool southerly breeze. | ||||||||||||
| 8 | 8.3 | 13.6 | 10.8 | 10.6 | 40 | 250 | North East | 0 | 0 | 1018.5 | 1023.5 | -5.0 |
| Morning cloud clearing. A sunny afternoon with cool NE wind. | ||||||||||||
| 9 | 8.5 | 14.4 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 43 | 282 | North | 0 | 0 | 1006.7 | 1018.3 | -11.6 |
| Cloud clearing to a sunny day with cool NE winds. | ||||||||||||
| 10 | 7.7 | 17.0 | 11.6 | 4.4 | 25 | 105 | North East | 0 | 0 | 998.3 | 1006.5 | -8.2 |
| Mostly sunny but some cloud late morning for a short time. Light NE breezes. | ||||||||||||
| 11 | 8.5 | 16.4 | 11.2 | 6.2 | 33 | 147 | South | 0.8 | 3.4 | 992.6 | 998.1 | -5.5 |
| Mostly cloudy but a couple of sunny breaks. Showers in the evening. | ||||||||||||
| 12 | 4.4 | 11.2 | 8.6 | 17.0 | 59 | 402 | South | 2.4 | 74.6 | 996.9 | 1006.0 | +9.1 |
| Strong southerly winds from early morning. Rain easing about mid afternoon and winds dropping in the evening. 74.6mm is the highest daily rainfall I've recorded at my station since starting it in 2000. It just beats 73.4mm on the 6th August 2004. | ||||||||||||
| 13 | -0.8 | 12.5 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 22 | 65 | North East | 0.2 | 0.2 | 993.6 | 1005.8 | -12.2 |
| First frost of the year. Clear and sunny with a cool NE breeze in the afternoon. | ||||||||||||
| 14 | 1.2 | 10.7 | 7.2 | 10.2 | 40 | 239 | South | 1.8 | 32.8 | 988.0 | 1002.5 | +14.5 |
| NE Breezes in the morning turning to southerlies with showers mid morning. Temperature dropping during the afternoon to a minimum of 1.2C at 6pm. Snow was reported in some parts of Christchurch but I didn't see any here. Hail showers in the evening. | ||||||||||||
| 15 | 3.4 | 9.5 | 5.5 | 9.5 | 42 | 222 | South | 1.0 | 6.6 | 1002.6 | 1014.8 | +12.2 |
| Mostly cloudy but some sunny intervals. Showers with cold southerly winds. | ||||||||||||
| 16 | -1.6 | 13.1 | 5.6 | 0.1 | 7 | 2 | Light Air | 0 | 0 | 1014.7 | 1017.2 | -2.5 |
| Frost. Variable cloud from late morning. Hardly any wind. | ||||||||||||
| 17 | 1.1 | 14.5 | 6.6 | 1.1 | 17 | 25 | South | 0 | 0 | 1016.7 | 1021.3 | +4.6 |
| Mostly sunny, southerly breezes from late morning. | ||||||||||||
| 18 | 4.4 | 15.7 | 8.7 | 3.1 | 34 | 74 | North East | 0 | 0 | 1017.9 | 1027.1 | +9.2 |
| Some morning cloud but sunny. NE winds from late morning easing in the eveing and turning southerly at night. | ||||||||||||
| 19 | 6.6 | 14.2 | 9.6 | 3.0 | 24 | 72 | South | 0 | 0 | 1025.5 | 1034.4 | +8.9 |
| Some cloud but mostly sunny. Cool at times with light breezes. | ||||||||||||
| 20 | 4.9 | 12.9 | 9.6 | 8.2 | 42 | 192 | North | 0 | 0 | 1021.4 | 1031.6 | -10.2 |
| Weak sun through high cloud for most of the day. Cool NE wind, gusty at times. | ||||||||||||
| 21 | 7.0 | 14.4 | 11.0 | 5.3 | 25 | 124 | North East | 0 | 0 | 1016.7 | 122.1 | +5.4 |
| Cloudy with a nor'west arch cloud to the west. Light NE winds turning southerly in the evening. | ||||||||||||
| 22 | 7.1 | 11.5 | 9.4 | 5.1 | 23 | 119 | South West | 0.2 | 2.2 | 1022.1 | 1026.2 | +4.1 |
| Overcast with drizzle or light rain. Cool southerly breeze. | ||||||||||||
| 23 | 6.6 | 9.4 | 7.8 | 4.7 | 23 | 112 | South | 0.2 | 3.8 | 1024.7 | 1027.2 | +2.5 |
| Dull with mist and low cloud. Drizzle and light rain morning and evening. Cool southerly breezes. | ||||||||||||
| 24 | 4.6 | 10.6 | 8.2 | 1.2 | 15 | 28 | South West | 1.2 | 10.0 | 1025.5 | 1029.0 | +3.5 |
| Dull and overcast with drizzle and light rain. A period of heavier rain late afternoon. Little wind. | ||||||||||||
| 25 | 1.9 | 11.5 | 7.8 | 6.9 | 34 | 163 | North East | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1024.2 | 1029.0 | -4.8 |
| Fog closed the airport for a few hours in the morning. Some weak sunshine but mostly cloudy with a cool NE wind. | ||||||||||||
| 26 | 11.5 | 15.0 | 13.0 | 11.1 | 35 | 262 | North East | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1009.2 | 1024.0 | -14.8 |
| Cloudy with NE winds, rain late evening. | ||||||||||||
| 27 | 8.6 | 17.7 | 13.3 | 6.0 | 34 | 141 | North East | 0.8 | 6.4 | 999.7 | 1009.5 | -9.8 |
| Early morning rain clearing by dawn. Low cloud lifting and breaking for a time with light NE breezes during the day. | ||||||||||||
| 28 | 6.9 | 13.1 | 9.9 | 4.5 | 24 | 106 | North East | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1000.6 | 1003.6 | -3.0 |
| Fog clearing and cloud breaking for a short time in the morning. Mist and low cloud returning mid afternoon with a cool NE breeze. | ||||||||||||
| 29 | 7.4 | 12.1 | 9.8 | 9.0 | 52 | 213 | South | 1.0 | 10.4 | 1001.9 | 1014.8 | +12.9 |
| Morning southerly change with gusty winds and rain. Rain and wind easing by mid morning but showers again in the evening. | ||||||||||||
| 30 | 4.7 | 11.8 | 7.9 | 3.7 | 25 | 88 | South | 0.8 | 4.2 | 1014.7 | 1026.4 | +11.7 |
| Showers clearing by midday and low cloud lifting and breaking for a time. Light southerly winds. | ||||||||||||
| 31 | 3.8 | 12.4 | 7.4 | 2.2 | 16 | 52 | South | 0 | 0 | 1026.1 | 1028.4 | -2.3 |
| Morning cloud breaking in the afternoon. Light southerly breezes. | ||||||||||||
