Heatwave parches north

By CLAIRE TREVETT

Vast areas of the North Island are drying up under a heatwave, with serious problems expected for farmers unless rain comes to the north within the next week.

Rainfall figures from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research for Northland, Coromandel, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, and other coastal areas on the East Coast of the North Island are well below monthly averages and soil moisture is evaporating more quickly than it is being replaced.

Niwa senior climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger said there had been between zero and 3mm of rain for most of Northland in the first two weeks of January. Cape Reinga had recorded the highest levels, 7mm so far.

Usual January rainfall ranged between 60mm at Cape Reinga and 140mm around Kerikeri.

"Given we have had nearly half the month, we certainly haven't had half the rainfall, so it is very dry."

December was also drier than usual. Most places in Northland got between 30mm and 50mm of rain - about half the average.

Mr Salinger said it was unlikely things would become as dry as in Canterbury, where the northwesterly winds had dried out the few millimetres of rain over the past six weeks.

But he said there was significant soil moisture deficit over most of Northland already.

"If it does not rain for a week, I should imagine things would be looking very serious indeed."

MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said horticulturists could irrigate their land, but dairy farmers would be feeling the strain.

"The main thing in Northland was the wet spring followed by this, so the pasture was soggy and then dried out quickly. It basically turned into concrete in November, so there is not much they could have done with it since then."

Northland Federated Farmers spokesman Bill Guest said the dry summer had compounded the problems of an extremely wet winter and spring.

"We've pretty much written this year off. There is very little a farmer can do to improve the year. It was mapped out long ago because of the extremes of the bad winter and spring. Most farmers are waiting for next year and hoping for better weather."

Many farmers who had gone down to milking once a day during the wet winter and spring had found the dry was now forcing them to stick with it.

"There are a hell of a lot of dry areas in Northland already. If this heat keeps up it will be looking like a Martian landscape."

Many Northland farmers did not have enough grass to make feed supplements such as hay and silage.

Northland was not the only dry area. Niwa climatologist Stuart Burgess said January rainfall had so far barely registered over some of Bay of Plenty, and along the east coast of the North Island, which usually got between 50mm and 65mm.

There had been no rain in Whakatane, Gisborne, Napier and Hastings by yesterday morning.

Rotorua, Taupo, Masterton, Tauranga and Wanganui had had only a few millimetres.

Across Auckland, there was between 5mm and 10mm. Auckland's average January rainfall was between 75mm and 85mm.

Mr Burgess said about 5mm of moisture evaporated from the soil each day at this time of the year.

There was little relief in sight.

Mr McDavitt said highs had been crossing the north of New Zealand, while lows deepened in the Southern Ocean, creating more westerly winds over central New Zealand. The result was long, dry periods, especially in Northland, with hot, humid weather.

"There are no signs of any great change in the pattern over the next few months."

He said a front from Queensland or the north could bring a few days of rain within the next few weeks.

"But not this week, because there is nothing out there to come in."

Niwa expected fire risks to be at extreme levels in several parts of the country by the end of January.

Northland was already on red alert. Fire restrictions were put on Whangarei district from last Saturday and a ban for the Far North would start tomorrow.

Extreme fire danger ratings were also expected in parts of Auckland, the Gisborne flats, Heretaunga Plains, central Hawkes Bay, parts of Wairarapa, Manawatu, Waimea Plains, and the east of the South Island from central Marlborough to Otago.