Extreme high rainfall for Niuafo‘ou in May [1]
Thursday, June 13, 2019 - 16:54. Updated on Monday, August 17, 2020 - 18:25.
Extremely high rainfall was recorded in Niuafo’ou in May that was over double the mean average rainfall since records began.
Tonga Meteorological Service in its Climate Update stated that in May, Niuafo’ou recorded 373.5mm of rainfall. This compares to a mean average rainfall 172.3mm based on monthly averages for the last 30 years.
At the same time, for the rest of Tonga average to above average rainfall was recorded around the country, except for Vava’u, which was below average.
Meanwhile the monthly mean temperature was 25.1oC on average, with the highest maximum temperature of 31.0oC recorded on 5 May in Niuafo'ou and the lowest minimum temperature at 17.0oC on 18 May in Nuku'alofa.
The rainfall outlook for June to August is below average for Niuatoputapu and Vava'u, and average to above average for Niuafo’ou, Ha’apai, Tongatapu and ‘Eua.
From September to November, rainfall is forecast to be average in Niuatoputapu and Fua’amotu and below average for the rest of the country (refer Table 1 below).
Cool weather
The wet season has officially ended with the dry season starting on May 1 through to October.
The dry season is also known as the cool season or winter for Tonga and this is when we experience less rainfall than average.
While the tropical Pacific Ocean and atmosphere remain near El Nino thresholds, the outlook remains on El Niño watch with climate models suggesting a gradual shift away from El Niño levels over the coming months.
Given the ENSO status and the current dry season, Toga Met encouraged the public to be aware of the current weather situation and stay alert at all times to forecasts and warnings provided from the Met service.