Record-breaking rain for Gisborne, New Zealand

After a run of particularly wet weather for New Zealand’s Gisborne region, one location has beaten its record for the highest January rainfall since 1937.

Gisborne Airport has recorded 241.3 mm (9.5 inches) of rain since the start of January, surpassing its previous monthly record of 232.8 mm (9.1 inches) set in January 1961.

A substantial amount of this rain fell on Tuesday, January 10, when Cyclone Hale was in the vicinity.

95.1 mm (3.7 inches) of rainfall was recorded that day at Gisborne Airport, which didn’t quite beat the station’s record for the wettest January day — set on January 16, 1961, at 115.8 mm (4.6 inches).

There’s a little more rain on the cards today for Gisborne, but fine weather is expected on Friday, January 19.

Further south, a series of fronts are about to make their way up South Island overnight Thursday into Friday, bringing rain and cooler temperatures. The fronts will weaken away as they reach North Island on Saturday.

Featured image credit: JMA/Himawari-9, Zoom Earth, The Watchers. Acquired at 21:40 UTC on January 10, 2023