Rainfall monitoring records wettest last six months since records began
Hawke's Bay has had the wettest six months since records first began, rainfall monitoring figures have revealed.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council Team Leader Air, Marine and Land Science, Dr Kathleen Kozyniak, says December was the fifth consecutive month of above-normal rainfall for the region and totals are already above normal for January, making it the sixth consecutive month.
“The 2022 annual rainfall total hit a new record at 24 of 43 of our rainfall monitoring sites. Since July 2022, rainfall accumulations are the highest on record for 35 of the 43 council’s monitoring sites,” Dr Kozyniak says.
The most significant increase in records was recorded at Mt Manuoha, in the far northwest of the region, north of Lake Waikaremoana. The 2022 annual total was 4273.5 mm. The previous highest was 3646.5 mm recorded in 2017. The site’s annual average is roughly 3000 mm.
The abnormal weather has disrupted agriculture in the region.
Jim Galloway, Hawke’s Bay Federated Farmers President, says it has been a long, hard spring for farmers across the region. “All this rain has left very tight windows to get jobs done. It has been very stressful”.
“Grass growth only started in mid-November, meaning lamb weights and milk yields are down. And spare a thought for the poor silage guys. The rain has also impacted cropping with slow growth or crops being drowned out altogether,” says Mr Galloway.
Farmers are also reporting above-average levels of feed and full dams. Soil moisture levels have been consistently higher than average for all of 2022, making a summer drought extremely unlikely.
