Dunedin's airport recorded 32degC on the 23rd, which was the third highest January temperature since records began in 1947.
While the average temperature for Musselburgh was 16.6degC, the more telling figure of the average daytime high was 21.1degC - 2.2degC warmer than normal for January. The hottest day was 30degC.
At the airport, the average daytime high temperature was 23.1degC - 2.4degC warmer than normal.
Night-time lows were also warmer than normal, with the airport dipping to an average 10.3degC (1.1degC warmer than normal) and the city 12.1degC (.6degC warmer).
Despite Dunedin being the wettest of New Zealand's six main centres last month, rainfall was below normal for the city, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research's (Niwa) national climate summary for January said.
Dunedin had 54mm of rain during January, which was 74% of the city's normal rainfall for January.
That compared with Christchurch's 26mm (60% of normal), Wellington's 37mm (51% of normal), Hamilton's 33mm (42% normal), Tauranga's 40mm (54% normal) and Auckland's 38mm (63% normal).
The city also experienced less wind than usual, with the airport only registering gusts greater than 60kmh once, on the 2nd; and Musselburgh once, on the 27th.
Even though the city's weather was hotter and drier than normal, sunshine hours were near normal at 177, although other centres had above normal sunshine hours.
Elsewhere in the region, Oamaru received only 15mm of rain, the third lowest since 1898 (30% of normal), Ranfurly 15mm, the second lowest since 1943 (31% normal) and Cromwell 9mm the second lowest since 1949 (22% of normal).
Climate scientist Dr Andrew Tait said the warm, dry, sunny weather for January resulted from more "highs" to the east of the country and more "lows" than normal in the Tasman Sea.
This resulted in more northerly and northeasterly winds over the country than normal, which contributed to the low rainfalls and warm temperatures.
The national average temperature was 17.6degC, .6degC above average for January; and rainfall was less than 50% of normal for much of the country.
The most extreme weather event during the month was heavy rain in Queenstown and on the West Coast on the night of January 2.
The following day, lightning, thunder, gale-force winds and large hail were experienced throughout Canterbury.
