MANDY SMITH If you thought November felt more like mid-summer than late-spring, you're right. According to the November climate summary from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa), mean temperatures were more than 1.5deg above average in parts of Hawke's Bay and Gisborne. Hawke's Bay Airport and Wairoa recorded the highestmean temperatures for the month with 17.5deg. Rain was also 75 percent less than normal in the Bay, resulting in severe soil moisture deficits. Week after week of nor'westerlies have dried out the region, prompting the Hastings District Council on November 27 to declare a restricted fire season - a month earlier than usual. For the rest of the country, November was a month of extreme contrasts with temperatures ranging from a chilly -4.6deg in Murchison to a respectable 29.4deg in Dunedin. Wellington was the wettest, Dunedin the driest and Christchurch the sunniest of the five main centres. High winds buffeted the country, with one man losing his life in Canterbury, killed by a falling tree in severe nor'westerly gales on November 14. Auckland also recorded gusts up to 150km/h on November 9 and 10, when broken power lines cut electricity to 20,000 homes. Looking ahead, extremely dry weather is set to remain for Hawke's Bay this summer as El Nino weather patterns continue.
