Tararua weather outlook signals a warm, mostly dry December

A warm and wet start to December is on the cards for Tararua, but a dry summer is predicted to follow.

Preparedness is being urged by the Tararua District Council and Federated Farmers.

The council posted to social media with tips on conserving water, which included filling tanks and pools while the supply’s easy, finding and fixing leaks and starting to collect rainwater “before the sun really turns up the heat”.

“Small actions in your household can lead to large water savings,” the post said.

The council’s website also said there had been a significant rise in water usage “these last weeks”.

“Water usage in our daily lives adds up fast, meaning that we have to tap into our stored water.

Residents in Tararua can expect a mostly dry month, with periods of rain.

“This stored water is critical for getting through long dry periods, which could lie ahead of us.”

Tararua Federated Farmers president Aaron Passey said farmers in the region were feeling optimistic, but as always he urged them to plan ahead.

“Make decisions early, you have more control over your situation and are not having to be forced to make decisions.”

Passey said he had heard some farmers in the Pongaroa area had very dry conditions and were 40 to 45% down on their annual rainfall.

“They have missed out on a lot of that rain, so when you are averaging 1100mm a year, and you are 450mm behind, it is pretty sad out there if they don’t get some decent rainfall.”

He said he had also heard of some farmers offloading lambs earlier than normal, in November rather than December, in preparation for the drier weather.

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said December was the beginning of meteorological summer and residents could expect the first week of the month to have a “warm and wet flavour”.

“After that, conditions look to remain around normal, read that as mostly dry with periods of rain.”

Ferris said some rain was due this week, but “probably not enough to alleviate the dry conditions, just keep it steady”.

He said the periods of rain would be harder to pick in long-range forecasting.

“They could be brief, which will lead to rather dry conditions by the end [of summer]. At this time of year, there’s risk of deep low-pressure systems drifting south from the tropics, which represents the risk of severe weather.”

Ferris said the region could expect warm overnight temperatures rather than the extreme hot afternoons and advised people to keep up with the latest short-range forecasts to best prepare for the summer months ahead.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.