File photo: NZ Herald2023 was New Zealand's second hottest year on record and among the cloudiest, NIWA has announced today. Globally, last year has been confirmed today as the warmest year on record but in New Zealand the record belongs to 2022. May and September were the warmest on record, coming in 1.1C and 2C above the 1991-2020 monthly averages. NIWA says it is the first month to have a temperature below average since May 2017. And the place with the highest recorded sunshine hours last year was not Whakatāne or Nelson as is often the case.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 09, 2024 22:07 UTC