Climate
Palmerston North's climate is temperate with maximum daytime temperatures averaging 22 °C (72 °F) in summer and 12 °C (54 °F) in winter. On average temperatures rise above 25 °C (77 °F) on 20 days of the year. Annual rainfall is approximately 960 mm (37.8 in) with rain occurring approximately 5% of the time. There are on average 200 rain-free days each year.
In the ranges that flank the city there is often sustained wind, especially in spring. Much of this land is within the city boundaries and these ranges have the reputation of providing the most consistent wind in the country.
Close to the city is the largest electricity-generating wind farm in the southern hemisphere, with 158 turbines in the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges providing power for approximately 30,000 homes.
Climate data for Palmerston North | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °C (°F) | 22.4 (72.3) |
22.9 (73.2) |
21.1 (70.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
15.3 (59.5) |
13.1 (55.6) |
12.6 (54.7) |
13.3 (55.9) |
14.9 (58.8) |
16.7 (62.1) |
18.5 (65.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
17.5 (63.5) |
Average low °C (°F) | 13.4 (56.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
12.1 (53.8) |
9.8 (49.6) |
7.4 (45.3) |
5.4 (41.7) |
4.7 (40.5) |
5.4 (41.7) |
7.2 (45.0) |
8.7 (47.7) |
10.2 (50.4) |
12 (54) |
9.1 (48.4) |
Precipitation mm (inches) | 65 (2.56) |
62 (2.44) |
74 (2.91) |
76 (2.99) |
94 (3.7) |
87 (3.43) |
94 (3.7) |
82 (3.23) |
83 (3.27) |
90 (3.54) |
78 (3.07) |
83 (3.27) |
966 (38.03) |
Source: NIWA Climate Data |
Read more about this topic: Palmerston North
Famous quotes containing the word climate:
“Russian forests crash down under the axe, billions of trees are dying, the habitations of animals and birds are layed waste, rivers grow shallow and dry up, marvelous landscapes are disappearing forever.... Man is endowed with creativity in order to multiply that which has been given him; he has not created, but destroyed. There are fewer and fewer forests, rivers are drying up, wildlife has become extinct, the climate is ruined, and the earth is becoming ever poorer and uglier.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (18601904)
“Is not their climate foggy, raw, and dull,
On whom, as in despite, the sun looks pale,
Killing their fruit with frowns?”
—William Shakespeare (15641616)
“Nobody is so constituted as to be able to live everywhere and anywhere; and he who has great duties to perform, which lay claim to all his strength, has, in this respect, a very limited choice. The influence of climate upon the bodily functions ... extends so far, that a blunder in the choice of locality and climate is able not only to alienate a man from his actual duty, but also to withhold it from him altogether, so that he never even comes face to face with it.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (18441900)