February was hot and dry for most of the country, with most places having well below normal rainfall.
Sunshine hours were well above normal in Southland, Otago, parts of Canterbury and the West Coast and around Cape Reinga, NIWA's National Climate Centre says.
The highest temperature was 35.6 degrees Celcius at Cheviot in North Canterbury and the lowest was 0.5 degrees recorded at Omarama in the Mackenzie Basin.
In the main centres, Auckland was the driest, Tauranga the warmest and Dunedin had its sunniest February ever.
The highest one-day rainfall was 69.4mm at Cape Reinga, while a 178 km/h windgust was recorded at Waipawa in central Hawkes Bay.
Northland continued to be very dry, and parts of Auckland, Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago were beginning to show severe soil moisture deficits.
Northland was officially declared to be in drought in early January.
NIWA climate scientist Georgina Griffiths says the country is still under an El Nino pattern and this will mean it will continue to be dry in the north and east over the next three months.
