Thanks to our London-orientated national media, there seems to be an impression that our summer weather so far has been disappointing. Some readers of this paper are no doubt of an age to remember the 1960s, when a summer that was both warm and dry was too much to expect.

In Wellington, July 1 was the wettest day of the month. It was blustery with sunny spells and a couple of short sharp showers that yielded all of 3mm of rain. Showers and drizzle during the next few days contributed another 1mm – not enough to wet the ground. High air pressure then exerted its influence, raising temperatures and giving more sunshine. That July 5 was our sunniest day since May simply highlights how dull it was in June.

As the first week drew to a close, rain was forecast to arrive from the south-west. We had a run of very mild nights, and although it became humid, all the precipitation we had during three days amounted to only 2.5mm. July 9 turned out much sunnier than forecast, the maximum temperature in Wellington of 25.6 C (78 F) making it at the time our hottest day of the year. There followed several days with variable amounts of sunshine and temperatures hovering a degree either side of normal.

With a slack airflow from the south-west continuing, July 16 began on a mild, dull note. The sun broke through by mid-morning, and then the temperature soared, peaking just shy of 27 C (81 F) at the Wellington recording site. During the next three days it became progressively warmer, with a notable maximum of almost 31C (88F) on July 19, a rare day of almost unbroken sunshine. The following night the mercury did not drop below 18C (64F), equalling the highest July minimum on record here. Humidity remained high with some patchy drizzle on July 21 but sunshine the following day raised the temperature to 27C once more.

The final week of the month was mostly rather cloudy. There was a typical late-July muggy feel, nights again being uncomfortably warm and days about average. There was slight drizzle during the afternoon of July 24,and a confident forecast of rain for the night of July 26 – but too little to measure in the rain gauge next morning. Finally, just after lunch on July 28, the passage of a weak weather front resulted in a brief but heavy shower that yielded 2mm, pushing the total for the month to 10mm (0.4in). After a cooler night, bright sunshine and a fresh breeze on July 31 signalled a change in the overall weather pattern.

In summary, emphasis must be placed on the lack of rain. The 10mm total in our area equals that for July 1999 and is the second lowest July total in more than a century. Also, it means we have enjoyed our driest four-month spell since 1984, with a total of only 140mm (5.5in) of rain. Not surprising, then, to see parched lawns and wilting trees. Added to that, with a mean temperature of 17.8C (64F) in Wellington, it was warmer than any July between 1955 and 1975. Who can complain at that?

SIMON RATSEY

(WWN Weather Correspondent)