• Bay’s wet spell to continue through the weekend

Bay’s wet spell to continue through the weekend

Low sea temperatures and strong offshore wind have resulted in Hawke’s Bay being colder and somewhat wetter than the rest of the country this month, NIWA says.

But while the recent rain is a welcome relief for farmers, and firefighters battling the consequences of parched land, it is not enough to alleviate concern completely.

NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll said Hawke’s Bay has been a “particular exception” despite “cooler than average” parts of the country, with offshore flow bringing “cooler temperatures and moisture”.

“This year our sea temperatures around the country are not nearly as warm as they were last January, or the January before that,” Noll said. It is a far cry from the last two January’s which hold the title of the third warmest January on record (2019) and the warmest month on record (2018).

While rainfall is variable around the region, in a general sense, anywhere from 20mm to about 50mm has fallen this month, Noll said. “So in a sense, you might be thankful that there's some rain because other parts of the North Island are not doing quite as well.”

In the short-term, the region can expect the “wet spell” to continue through the weekend and southerly and southeasterly winds for the next week.

“It is probably going to take until next weekend for an appreciable warm-up in the Hawke’s Bay. So a little longer to get through this rough spell of weather before you see some brighter days and more summer-like weather,” Noll added.

Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay president, Jim Galloway said farms out in the country, and in areas like Patoka, normally used to prolonged rain and grass during this time of year, were “desperate” for rain seen over the last week or so.

Although the discrepancy in rainfall around the region varied things considerably. He said the rain will keep the “green patches greener for a bit longer”, and has allowed irrigation to stop for a few days, but won’t grow a lot of grass given it was only between 18mm to 25mm.

It is a considerable change from this time last year when grass was “coming out of our ears”, Galloway said.

What is needed now, is little to no rain, but a plentiful amount during autumn.

“The worst thing is if we got another 20-30m and then got six to eight weeks without rain because what happens is you have a false start where the grass starts growing and then the grass seed will just die if it doesn’t keep getting rain after that.”

Because of the current situation, Galloway said it is a “buyers market” with increased stock in the sale yards, and limited space at the works. A late 2019 spring most likely contributed to the “bottleneck” of lambs with farmers holding onto the smaller sized stock for longer.

Looking ahead, Galloway predicts crops planted now to feed stock in the winter could become an issue due to the dry conditions.

However, farmers are “not too worried” at the moment. “The biggest thing is making the decision and using what we know – don’t keep hoping for something to happen because quite often it won’t.”

With a number of fires already seen in the region, Fire and Emergency New Zealand Hawkes Bay area commander Ken Cooper urged residents to “remain vigilant” and take extra precautions.

He recommended checking www.checkitsalright.nz before lighting a fire or to reduce the risk of starting a fire when working in the outdoors.

NIWA predicts February to be a “continuation” of what the region has experienced so far this summer, with cool spells, a few warmer periods interspersed and several chances for rain as well.
However, March and/or April could be warmer than average, Noll said.

 

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