Welcome news for region as 10-day dry spell predicted

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Extended meteorological outlooks indicate a decent spell of fine weather lasting up to 10 days for the Gisborne-East Coast region.

New Zealand and overseas weather agencies are all looking to indications of a change as a result of El Nino conditions which have been developing since May.

The Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just issued its latest outlook, and says both wind changes and rising sea temperatures across the eastern Pacific Ocean show the El Nino is developing.

The latest satellite information shows water temperatures around New Zealand are rising and a large, slow-moving high pressure system is developing in the Tasman Sea.

MetService’s extended forecast says this district should enjoy clear and mostly sunny weather through to Thursday, July 20.

The extra sunshine will be appreciated by locals who have endured one of the gloomiest June months in recent times, with half the usual amount of sun.

The winds over the period to the end of next week are expected to remain westerly.

The US CPC says it expects the El Nino pattern to strengthen into the Christmas/New Year period, and predicts there is more than an 80 percent chance of it exceeding moderate strength.

Meanwhile, soil moisture levels remain at field capacity— saturated in other words.

However, the daily climate maps produced by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research show the month is getting above-average sunshine, which coupled with the westerly winds, should help dry excess surface moisture.