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Climate

New Zealand's climate is described as mild and temperate and is mainly maritime, driven by New Zealand's location within a belt of relatively strong westerly winds. The absence of nearby large land masses ensures that the air that reaches New Zealand is humid with a moderate temperature (average annual temperatures range from 10 degrees Celsius in the south to 16 degrees in the north of the country).

Southland's weather is dominated by those westerly influences, which provide a reliable and plentiful supply of rainfall and a small annual range in temperatures.

Topography, or the shape of the land, greatly affects Southland’s climate. The Fiordland mountain ranges act as a barrier to the prevailing westerlies, creating cloud and rain to the west as the maritime air rises and condenses. On the eastern side of the ranges, the air contains less moisture resulting in less cloud and lower rainfall.

The result is considerable variability in rainfall across the region. The Fiordland region receives extremely high rainfall totals, in excess of 10,000mm/yr. The inland valleys of northern Southland are relatively dry, receiving only between 800–1000mm of rainfall per year. Coastal areas such as Invercargill (1050mm/yr) tend to receive greater rainfall than inland areas as there are fewer ranges in the path of the westerlies to intercept the rain. Eastern Southland typically receives around 1000mm/yr in inland areas but around 1400mm in the coastal Catlins area.

Southland climate variability throughout the year

Snow in Southland is generally limited to higher altitude areas (where temperatures are cooler); it is common to see snow inland, particularly in the ranges, from autumn through to late spring. Snow can, however, fall to low levels in certain conditions.

In June, July and August, more southerly air flow brings drier air resulting in less rainfall (July is the driest month). In December, January and February, westerly air flow results in wetter conditions. While Southland has less drought risk than most of the country, northern and eastern Southland receive less rain and are more prone to drought than coastal and western Southland.

Air temperatures also have a small annual range in Southland, with July being the coldest month and January the warmest. The average annual variation is about 9 degrees in Invercargill, 10 degrees in Gore and 12 degrees at Mavora and Piano Flat. Temperature variation tends to be less in coastal areas due to the moderating effect of the sea, resulting in warmer winter temperatures and lower summer temperatures.

Weather-related records

Although the region’s climate is relatively uniform, it is not without its extremes. Recent weather-related records are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Recent Southland weather extremes