A section of Cape Palliser Rd was washed out on June 12 at Ngawi. PHOTO/FILE
BECKIE WILSON
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The small coastal fishing village of Ngawi very rarely sees rain like it did on June 12.
The village recorded a staggering 169.2mm of rain on that day, which brought with it several records, according to data released on Tuesday by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
That recording made it the village’s second wettest day in 31 years, and the wettest day last month anywhere in the country.
The wettest day recorded in Ngawi was on November 27, 2013, when 186.6mm of rain fell.
Over the month, Ngawi had 259mm of rain, making it the wettest June since 1987, and the village’s sixth wettest month overall across the same period.
On June 12, a subtropical low-pressure system caused havoc across Wairarapa, tearing down trees and bringing with it extreme rainfall which washed out roads and caused flooding of bridges and streets.
Main routes in and out of Martinborough were closed and bus services to the town were cancelled.
A section of Cape Palliser Rd at Ngawi was also washed out, next to the tractors on the beach.
Elsewhere during June, Masterton recorded 132mm of rain – 91mm more than the same month last year, while Castlepoint recorded 150mm.
Most areas along the east coast of the North Island received over one-and-a-half times their usual rainfall.
In comparison, most of the South Island recorded less than half its usual June rainfall.
Masterton experienced a slightly warmer June this year with a mean temperature [taking in maximum and minimum temperatures] of 9.1 degrees Celsius, which was 1.2C above average for June.
Martinborough recorded a cooler June with a mean temperature of 8.5C – only 0.1C above normal, while its average low temperature was 4.3C – 1.8C below average.
In comparison, last June, Martinborough recorded its third-coldest June since 1986, with an average low of 2.6C.
