December 2007 Print

My December

Temperature: December may have seemed a warm month as I recorded 3 days where the temperature exceeded 30C which is a record for my station. Previous December's having temperatures exceeding 30C for just 1 day were 2000 on the 14th, 2002 on the 31st, 2003 on the 14th and 2006 on the 12th. Despite this, the mean maximum temperature for December 2007 was 21.6C, just above my average December mean maximum of 21.0C. The average for the month was 16.0C, above my December average of 15.1C. The warmest December I've recorded was 2005 with an average of 16.8C and the coldest 2006 with 13.1C. The maximum temperature for the month was 33.5C on the 16th, a record maximum December temperature for my station. The minimum temperature was 5.3C on the 27th after a southerly change the previous day. The coolest December temperature I've recorded was 1.3C in the 2nd December 2006.

Wind: The monthly wind run of 6102 km close to my December average of 6169km (records from 2001) The windiest December was 2006 with 6877km and the least windy 2001 with 5376km. Maximum gust was 48km/h from the NE which is unusual. The only other time this year I've recorded similar speeds from the NE was the 30th June when I recorded a 50km/h gust Prevailing wind direction was north east recorded 51% of the month, south 29%, north 6%, south west 6%, nor'west and west 3% and 2% from the SE.

Rainfall: I recorded near average rainfall this December with 69.8mm, the average being 63.9mm. This month also had the highest 10 minute rainfall total for the year with 3.6mm on the 26th with also coincided with the highest daily total of 20.6mm. The wettest December I've recorded was 2004 with 137.8mm closely followed by 2006 with 135.8mm. The lowest total was just 2mm on 1 day in December 2003.

December 2007 Summary
Temperature
Mean 16.0 C
Mean Maximum 21.6 C
Mean Minimum 11.6 C
Maximum High 33.5 C (16th)
Maximum Low 18.0 C (11th)
Minimum High 14.9 C (26th)
Minimum Low 5.3 C (27th)
Wind Speed and Direction
Maximum Gust 48 km/h (8th)
Mean 8.3 km/h
Wind Run 6102 km
Max Daily Windrun 370 km (8th)
Prevailing Direction North East
Barometer
Maximum 1031.8 hPa (13th)
Minimum 994.0 hPa (25th)
Mean 1016.6 hPa
Max Daily Change +20.2 hPa (28th)
Rainfall
Days with Measured Rainfall (Greater than 0.2mm) 12
Max Daily Rainfall 20.6 mm (26th)
Monthly Rainfall 69.8 mm
Humidity
Maximum 96 % (14th)
Minimum 26 % (24th)

December 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 10.1 20.6 13.7 6.0 32 141 North East 0.6 2.6 1007.1 1013.3 +6.2
Sunny in the morning. Cloud increasing in the afternoon with drizzle by evening and showers later at night.
2 10.7 16.6 13.2 4.3 24 102 North East 0.2 0.4 1012.9 1015.7 +2.8
Drizzle in the morning. Overcast with NE winds.
3 12.1 25.0 16.3 8.2 32 194 North East 0 0 1010.6 1020.6 +10.0
Morning low cloud clearing, NE winds. A southerly change after midday but remaining mild and dry.
4 9.5 18.0 14.5 10.6 46 249 North East 0 0 1019.1 1022.7 -3.6
Morning cloud clearing with fresh NE winds. Cloud returning in the evening.
5 14.4 25.8 19.2 7.4 33 167 North East 0 0 1010.1 1019.6 -9.5
Morning cloud clearing and NE winds easing by midday. Sunny and warm in the afternoon.
6 7.6 16.3 13.1 11.0 45 259 South 0 0 1012.3 1031.2 +18.9
Overcast for much of the say with a cool southerly wind. Cloud breaking later in the afternoon and the southerly dying away.
7 6.9 17.5 12.5 6.9 36 163 North East 0 0 1023.9 1030.6 -6.7
Morning cloud breaking and clearing. Sunny with NE wind.
8 11.1 18.4 14.7 15.7 48 370 North East 0 0 1020.4 1024.2 -3.8
Morning cloud breaking and mostly sunny with a fresh NE wind (the 4th windiest day of the year to date). Cloud increasing in the evening with a little drizzle.
9 13.8 24.3 18.2 6.8 32 161 North East 0.2 0.4 1019.6 1022.5 +2.9
Light morning showers and cloud clearing during the morning to a sunny and mild day with light NE winds. Becoming overcast with a southerly change in the evening with a little drizzle.
10 13.1 23.0 17.7 9.0 35 212 North East 0.2 0.8 1017.2 1022.5 -5.3
Southerly with low cloud and showers in the morning. Showers clearing early afternoon with broken high cloud and NE winds.
11 18.0 32.4 23.7 5.8 24 135 North East 0 0 1015.1 1018.2 +3.1
Some high cloud with light NE winds. The warmest December temperature recorded to date and the warmest day since February 26th.
12 16.1 27.2 20.1 3.1 21 73 North East 0.4 3.8 1015.7 1018.2 -2.5
Cloudy, mild and humid with showers and light NE winds.
13 11.1 18.7 13.5 13.0 39 308 South 0.6 16.6 1017.6 1031.8 +14.2
Overcast with showers and cool southerly winds.
14 11.0 16.4 13.2 7.3 33 172 North East 0.4 2.8 1025.1 1031.6 -6.5
Low cloud with some morning showers. NE winds.
15 13.7 20.5 16.7 11.8 44 278 North East 0.2 0.2 1015.6 1024.9 -9.3
Morning low cloud and drizzle clearing by early afternoon to a sunny day, NE winds.
16 14.4 33.5 23.3 3.0 24 71 North West 0 0 1010.6 1016.5 -5.9
High cloud with light winds, tending nor'west in the afternoon. A new December record for my station just 5 days after the 2006 December record was broken on the 11th. The Metservice record temperature for December in Christchurch is 35.4C recorded in 1975.
17 12.6 31.8 20.7 9.7 42 230 South 0.2 0.4 1005.9 1013.6 +7.7
Variable cloud in the morning with NW winds. A change later in the afternoon to a cooler southerly and becoming overcast. Showers at night.
18 10.6 15.6 12.2 4.1 25 46 South 1.2 13.0 1012.3 1017.9 +5.6
Overcast with showers and light southerly winds. A change to NE winds mid afternoon.
19 11.2 17.8 14.0 5.3 29 125 North East 0 0 1011.3 1016.5 -5.2
Overcast with some drizzle in the morning. Cloud breaking for a time later in the afternoon. NE winds.
20 10.4 19.1 13.3 6.8 30 161 South 1.0 5.8 1012.2 1023.2 +11.0
Showers in the morning. Cloud breaking in the afternoon with some sunny intervals. Southerly winds.
21 9.8 18.4 14.1 6.4 34 152 North East 0 0 1022.8 1025.4 +2.6
Broken cloud, NE wind, cool at times.
22 12.2 19.0 15.6 12.1 41 285 North East 0 0 1020.4 1026.1 -5.7
Morning cloud breaking to a sunny day. Fresh NE winds.
23 14.6 21.1 17.5 12.7 45 301 North East 0 0 1004.9 1020.3 -15.4
Morning cloud breaking to a sunny day with fresh NE winds.
24 13.4 28.2 19.7 6.9 34 163 North East 0 0 997.0 1004.9 -7.9
Sunny and warm in the morning. Cloud increasing and light showers around midday. Cloud breaking to a sunny afternoon with NE winds turning warmer nor'west later followed by a cooler southerly change in the evening.
25 10.6 23.9 16.0 8.6 32 203 South 0 0 994.0 1002.7 -8.7
Southerly winds in the morning. Cloud breaking but some high cloud remaining. Sunny with NE winds later in the afternoon.
26 8.3 14.9 11.5 10.7 41 253 South 3.6 20.6 997.5 1013.2 +15.7
Early southerly cold change with showers, some heavy. Showers clearing and cloud breaking in the afternoon.
27 5.3 22.4 14.4 6.2 33 145 North East 0 0 1001.2 1013.0 -11.8
Sunny but cool morning. High cloud increasing during the afternoon. NE winds.
28 9.0 19.3 13.5 9.0 44 212 North East 0.6 2.8 1002.9 1023.1 +20.2
Morning showers with southerly winds. Cloud breaking in the afternoon with NE winds.
29 12.4 18.9 15.4 12.1 37 284 North East 0 0 1019.3 1023.3 -4.0
Broken cloud with haze and a breezy Ne wind.
30 13.5 24.9 18.5 8.0 38 190 North East 0 0 1013.3 1019.7 -6.4
Some high cloud, becoming overcast late afternoon with a few spots of rain. Southerly change at night but remaining dry.
31 12.1 20.3 15.1 9.8 41 232 South 0 0 1020.4 1029.7 +9.3
Morning cloud breaking in the afternoon with southerly winds turning NE.
December 2007 Temperature Graph December 2007 Wind Dir Graph December 2007 Wind Speed Graph December 2007 Rainfall Graph December 2007 Barograph December 2007 Humidity Graph
 

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