ESNZ meteorologist Chester Lampkin said the only places in the South where January temperatures were above average were coastal areas of Fiordland, and Westland. The only temperature record to break in the South was at Waipounamu, near Riversdale, in Southland, which had a January record coldest daily minimum air temperature of 0.0°C on January 30. Only four locations observed near-record high mean temperatures. The country’s warmest location relative to normal was Kawerau, where the mean temperature of 22.1°C was 2.3°C above normal. Strong winds on January 11 helped South West Cape record its highest-equal January extreme wind gust, when it reached 180kmh.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 08, 2026 17:32 UTC