Dunedin was unusually dry and sunny during July, with the city experiencing its fourth-lowest rainfall on record and second-highest sunshine hours for the month, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) figures show.
It is the third consecutive month the city has recorded low rainfall, warmer-than-normal temperatures and high sunshine hours.
Niwa climate scientist Georgina Griffiths said Invercargill experienced its wettest July on record.
It had double its average July rainfall.
Conversely, the east of the South Island, from Dunedin to Kaikoura, was extremely dry.
The national climate centre summary for July showed the low pressures south of New Zealand during the month produced extremely windy and stormy conditions overall.
"The monthly 'westerly wind' index for Christchurch southwards was the second strongest for July since records began in 1941," Ms Griffiths said.
July started out unusually warm in eastern areas, she said.
However, a polar blast from July 24-26 delivered a bitterly cold air mass over the country and widespread snow "so that mean temperatures for July were near average, overall, for many regions".
The average temperature was 8degC, 0.1% above average.
The polar blast resulted in an all time, record low minimum temperature recorded at Manapouri on July 26 of -10.2degC, and the second-lowest minimum at Queenstown of -8.9degC on the same day.
Dunedin was the only place in New Zealand to reach near-record low rainfall for the month, with only 20mm recorded, 30% of normal and the fourth lowest since records began in 1918.
The city and Balclutha were two of only four places with near record-high sunshine hours: 151 hours (149% of normal), its second highest, and 138 hours (144% of normal), its third highest.
Compared with the six main centres, Dunedin's sunshine hours were similar to those of Auckland, Tauranga and Christchurch, which all recorded 153 hours. Dunedin's mean temperature of 6.7degC was a degree higher than Christchurch and nearly two degrees lower than Wellington.
Christchurch also had well below its normal rainfall with 29mm, but Dunedin was still the driest with only 20mm. All other centres had near normal or above.
The windy weather during the month produced the third-highest wind gust for July of 76kmh on July 12 at Tara Hills in Central Otago.
