The weather archive shows the last time Gisborne recorded a temperature this high was on February 12, 2022, when the mercury reached 31.5.
For yesterday, MetService was predicting a high of 31 . . . and issued its first heat alert for the year for Gisborne.
Gisborne-East Coast residents may have wondered why so many other places were subject to heat alerts, but not Gisborne.
The other aspect that may have puzzled people is that there is no separate heat alert panel on MetService’s main website — it only appears in the day’s forecast when issued.
On a mobile phone, any heat alert appears on the first page under the day’s forecast.
The reason Gisborne has had no heat alerts before now is that they are based on each centre’s own weather patterns.
Gisborne, normally being hot in summer, had not reached “above the norm” until now.
This is the third year MetService has been trialling the heat alerts, recognising that extreme heat poses a health risk.
It issues them for 46 towns or cities and only when temperatures are expected to be unusually hot for that location.
MetService says: “The thresholds to trigger a heat alert vary a lot from one region to another. What is considered extremely hot for a Cantabrian is very different from what a Southlander will deem hot.”
For those looking to cool off, the water temperature at local beaches remains around a pleasant 20 degrees.
Despite the recent heat, the fire danger level for the district remains moderate for the Gisborne and inland part of the region while the risk is low for those further north.
But with rapid drying out and the ever-present threat of strong north-west winds, authorities ask the public to stay aware of the dangers of fire.
Looking ahead, the forecast is for a few showers tomorrow and Sunday, but another fine run for all of next week.
