Rain in Bay staying mainly away in May

Clouds amassing south of Hastings, but forecasts suggested it's not good enough to spin any green from the farmlands of gold and brown squawking for some autumn moisture. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hawke's Bay's golden autumn is showing little sign of change as the region drifts into what could its sixth month in a row with below-average rainfall.

By Friday night, both Napier and Hastings have had less than 2mm of rain this month, well short of twin city averages of about 65mm.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council rainfall summaries show its entire area had below-normal April rainfall. The Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges, Heretaunga and Ruataniwha plains and southern Hawke's Bay have all posted below-average rainfalls for five months in a row.

Rain from north of Wairoa to south of Pōrangahau averaged just 40 per cent of April averages, and parts of southern Hawke's Bay had less than 20 per cent.
Rain maps for the past two months highlight the most widespread deficits of rain in Hawke's Bay are the most severe in the past five years, on top of a significant drought last year.

Principal scientist air Dr Kathleen Kozyniak described it as "not good news".

According to Metservice forecasts, Hawke's Bay is unlikely to experience anything significant from latest conditions, which include a severe gales possibility warning for the southern Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa coast and heavy rain stretching from the west coast of Southland to the southern Tararua Ranges on Tuesday.

Some scattered rain was expected in the ranges and Napier-Hastings tomorrow with a "few spots" forecast as a possibility as far north as Napier.

Temperatures today in Hawke's Bay ranged east-west from a peak 22C in Napier to 13C on the eastern Rangitaiki Plains, but in Napier-Hastings were expected to peak towards the mid-20s tomorrow and Tuesday before some rain on Wednesday and cooler temperatures over the next 48 hoursl