The country experienced its fifth warmest year since 1900 last year, with higher than normal temperatures caused by La Ni�riven anticyclones – although Hawke’s Bay slipped off the sunshine radar.

Prevailing easterlies and northeasterlies warmed the air but dragged cloud, and about average rainfall, to eastern areas, although the increased number of anticyclones made the year a generally settled one.

In Niwa’s just-released climate summary for the year, figures showed a year of two halves – with six months being drier than usual and six months being wetter than usual.

Hawke’s Bay was one of the regions to experience above average rainfall but, in terms of temperatures, the region was in the top third of the 76 locations listed.

Napier and Hastings both recorded a mean average temperature for the year of 14.3C. The national average was 13.1C.

Whangaparoa topped the heat list with an average of 16.5C.

Cheviot in the South Island topped the mercury with a high of 35.6C on February 22, while Lake Tekapo posted the coldest temperature with -12.6 on August 10.

While temperatures reached the low 30s in both Napier and Hastings at both ends of 2010, neither city was anywhere to be found in the country’s top 20 sunshine spots.

The title for 2010 went to Whakatane, with 2561 hours of the sunny stuff, followed by Nelson which had 2474 hours.

Notable climatic features of 2010 across various regions were two droughts, several heatwaves and three significant rainfall events.

One of those, on January 31, caused slips and floods and closed State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupo. Heavy rain in early July on the East Coast also saw SH2 between Napier and Wairoa closed due to slips, while stretches of SH5 were reduced to one lane. Of the 62 locations listed, Napier was 32nd in rainfall for the year with 974mm – a drop in the bucket compared to Cropp River, near Hokitika, which recorded 12,374mm.