"It means we've exceeded the region's average June rainfall, and thankfully it's ended the run of six consecutive months of below normal rainfall on the Heretaunga and Ruataniwha Plains and in Southern Hawke's Bay.
"Northern Hawke's Bay is the only part of the region that is still below average for the month."
Kozyniak said the rain had "done wonders" for soil moisture levels across the region, and they are now above median levels for the time of year. Most sites had reached field capacity.
But she said rainfall accumulations for the hydrological year (July to June) remained below average for most of the region, in particular at Ruahine Range sites Moorcock and Glenwood, where they remain less than last year and in the lowest 10 per cent of records at those sites.
Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay president Jim Galloway said that with the combination of the rain followed by sunny weather "the grass is starting to grow," dams would be replenishing in contrast to the drought conditions of last winter, and it would be difficult find farmers who were not happy with the weather of the last week.
By Thursday he hadn't heard of any significant damage, and the weather would have done "a lot more good than harm."
The regional council also reported Ngaruroro River flows late Thursday were still well above average.At Whana Whana it was 50cumecs, compared with 15cumecs prior to the rain, and an historic June average of 40cumecs. At Kuripapango it was 27cumecs, compared with 10cumecs prior to the rain and a June average of 21cumecs.
MetService had no weather warnings for Hawke's Bay, its regional forecast being for a fine Friday morning, clouding-over with northwesterlies in the afternoon, followed by possible showers especially towards the ranges on Saturday, developing to widespread rain on Sunday afternoon, with northwesterlies possible to gale force in exposed places.
Napier's temperature was about 16C early on Thursday afternoon, but daytime temperatures in the twin-cities area during the weekend are expected to reach 20C.