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Very hard to say...Wellington sounds pretty awful most of the year. With those gusty winds you'd need to bring a jacket out pretty much all the time. At least NYC gets some balmy weather. I can't believe I'm saying this but I might be leaning to New York. I think Wellington is one of the worst climates in NZ. Even Dunedin might be preferable.
Mean temperatures - and "sensible temperatures" in Dunedin are significantly lower than in Wellington. I've lived in both places for a substantial period of time - 3 times the salary wouldn't have brought me back to Dunedin during my working life. It is also about 440 hours/year cloudier than Wellington - and the NE winds up the harbour can be really chilling.
NYC for me. Wellington's windiness is its main flaw. Very cool summers don't help much, either. NYC is fairly reliably warm and sunny for nearly half of the year whereas Wellington is generally chilly and cloudy.
Also, I suspect if one considers the highest temp in a typical winter week in both climates NYC would come out on top due to the highly variable winter temps on the Atlantic coast. Can anyone comfirm or deny?
NYC for me. Wellington's windiness is its main flaw. Very cool summers don't help much, either. NYC is fairly reliably warm and sunny for nearly half of the year whereas Wellington is generally chilly and cloudy.
Also, I suspect if one considers the highest temp in a typical winter week in both climates NYC would come out on top due to the highly variable winter temps on the Atlantic coast. Can anyone comfirm or deny?
Notwithstanding your point, I claim that in the warmer months calms occur here more often than in Christchurch - your winds are less variable in speed then, but more persistent, especially near the coast. But it would be difficult to get data to check the assertion.
On the NYC point, one needs to know the distribution of "average weekly maxima" over the winter months to check anything.
Notwithstanding your point, I claim that in the warmer months calms occur here more often than in Christchurch - your winds are less variable in speed then, but more persistent, especially near the coast. But it would be difficult to get data to check the assertion.
On the NYC point, one needs to know the distribution of "average weekly maxima" over the winter months to check anything.
Sent a message to a member on another forum who may have such information available. I'll try to get back to you.
Wellington is certainly not a bad climate, as there are six months (Nov to April) that would not be uncomfortable outside for me. In each of those months the precip is not too heavy, so it would be fairly dry in Wellington in the warmest part of the year. Another thing I like about Wellington is that winters don't seem as gloomy as some oceanic climates.
The down side of Wellington is of course the same syndrome as the PNW region here in the USA – cold summers. Not a single month in even cracks 21 C/70 F. In fact the average low in NYC in mid summer (July)…is the average high in Wellington in mid summer (Jan). I think many people especially from lower latitudes (40 south) would really struggle in a climate where no month has average highs above 70 F. The low sunshine hrs in Wellington is also a bit of an issue for those who like sunshine. In NYC, one is assured of a good 5 to 6 months of sunny hot weather.
Also, I suspect if one considers the highest temp in a typical winter week in both climates NYC would come out on top due to the highly variable winter temps on the Atlantic coast. Can anyone comfirm or deny?
I calculated it for the last ten years. The average maximum temperature for a week in the winter (Dec-Feb) for NYC is 10.7 C (51.2 F). Since that's lower than the average high for a day in Wellington, I guess that's probably a deny.
This is one of these battles that tests me with: what's worse, cold or lack of heat? I nearly always come down on the side of lack of cold, so I'll escape snow and pick Wellington. Looks prettier, too!
23% chance of a maxiumum > 50°F on Feb 20
18% chance of a maxiumum > 50°F on Jan 1
26% chance of a maxiumum > 50°F on Dec 15
I don't know how to calculate the weekly; the distribution would be different than the daily since winter tends to cycle being warm and cool weeks. Most likely you'll get a series of days in the 50s and then a series of days in the low 30s with some in between.
NYC for me.
NYC summers could be a touch cooler and less humid but I'd take them any day over sub 70F summers. 70F is such a tease temperature - it is kind of warm yet not warm enough to really take advantage of the nice weather. Still have to carry a jacket or a sweater with your everywhere just in case the sun hides behind clouds.
Wellington winters are nice in terms of temps but overall are too wet and cloudy (typical of other maritime climates). NYC winters are a good deal sunnier.
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