Dannevirke: Rain, cooler temps refreshing

A golden glow from the setting sun has been a feature of the Dannevirke sky over summer. Photo / Christine McKay

A sudden drop in temperatures and some rain has taken the sting out of a hot summer for Dannevirke residents, but today things are heating up again, with 25C predicted by the MetService.

However, out in Ormondville things are looking fresher and greener.

"There are no longer brown hills at Ormondville and Makotuku after 6mm of rain on Thursday night," Quinney Olsen said.

The latest rain in the area followed a 38mm dumping a week earlier.

And further up the road in Norsewood weather-watcher Lyn McConchie says the rain continues to trickle on.

"We had 51mm up until early Sunday morning. That's only half of what we need, but it's better than nothing," she said.

In Dannevirke, light showers have brought between 2mm and 4mm of rain, with temperatures dropping to a chilly 13C on Sunday.

However, it's still too early to lift fire restrictions, Paddy Driver, the principal rural fire officer for the Tararua District Council, told the Dannevirke News.

"The fire index is coming down slowly, but when we have a hot day it shoots up again," he said. "Our last hot day was a stinking 28C."

With a restricted permit required and fire season still in place, Mr Driver said the public had played their part. "They've been brilliant," he said.

"On the whole, everyone has been well behaved in sticking to the rules.

"We've only had one incident where people didn't comply with their permit and failed to scrap a fire break around their burn-off. The fire got away and burned out a paddock, but the emergency services weren't required."

Mr Driver said with the light rain some green grass was starting to come through again, but he's urging residents to remain vigilant and comply with the fire restrictions.

The MetService is predicting a maximum day time temperature of 25C today, down to 10C overnight, but a few showers are forecast for tomorrow, along with a southerly wind change.