Weather Eye with John Maunder

Tauranga Temperatures 1913-2012

Temperatures have been recorded in the Tauranga area at several sites in the last 100 years including the current Tauranga Airport site from June 1990.

It is very common for areas such as Tauranga to have had different observation sites over the years and the readings from the earlier sites have been adjusted to the present site using "standard climatologically procedures".

It is considered that the temperature series described here is a fair and true record of what the temperature would have been if the current observation site (Tauranga Airport) had been used throughout the period.

It is important to note, that in considering 'climate change”, the methodology used in computing an ‘official' set of climate observations is very important as otherwise erroneous conclusions may be drawn.

Traditionally, temperature observations have been recorded with a set of maximum and minimum temperature thermometers. These record the daily maximum temperature (usually recorded in mid-afternoon), and daily minimum temperature (usually recorded just before dawn).

This analysis of temperatures for Tauranga are those for the average daily maximum temperatures. Later analyses will be for the average daily minimum temperatures.

The graph shows details of the average daily maximum temperatures (called simply "afternoon" from now on), for Tauranga from 1913-2011. Note that the years of 1942,1943,1947,1957,and 1964 are not included because of incomplete data.

The long-term average afternoon temperature for Tauranga for is 19.0 degrees C. ranging from the "cool" years of 1976 and 1992 with an average afternoon temperature of 18.1 degrees C , and 1923 with an average afternoon temperature of 18.2 degrees C, to the "warm" years of 1916 (20.1 degrees C),1998 (20.0 degrees C), and 2010 (19.9 degrees C).

The graph of the average afternoon temperatures shows generally "normal" variations from year to year with the earlier years of the record (1914, 1915, 1916), and in particular the last few years (1998, 1999, 2010, 2011) being notably "warmer" than other years.

From 1914 to 2011, there have been 15 years with an average afternoon temperature of 19.5 degrees or more, and 18 years with an average afternoon of 18.6 degrees or less.

The value for 2012 was 19.4 degrees. The 11 "warmest" years ( in terms of afternoon temperatures) on record, in chronological order, are 1914, 1915, 1916, 1928, 1938, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2010, 2011, and 2012. In contrast the 10 "coolest" years (in terms of afternoon temperatures) on record, in chronological order, are 1918,1920,1923,1941,1945,1965,1976,1977,1980, and 1992.

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