Rotorua will have a week off after a month of rain, according to MetService. Photo / Michael Craig
Rotorua will have a week off after a month of rain, according to MetService. Photo / Michael Craig
It was a sunny start to August in Rotorua yesterday but it comes after near-record volumes of rain fell last month.
Niwa says the main driving forces behind the wet weather have been consistently low-pressure systems from the northwest combined with tropical moisture from the Coral Sea.
According to datafrom MetService, Rotorua had its second wettest July since records began in 1963, with 316.7mm falling over the month. The month's average was 134mm. The wettest July there was in 345mm in 1998.
It was the third wettest July for Whakatane since records began in 1974, with 238.6mm total and an average of 134mm. Its wettest July had 363.4mm in 2004.
Tauranga also saw extensive rain, clocking in at the fifth wettest July in over a century - since records began in 1910, the heaviest July was 1951 with 348mm. This July had 270.7mm with an average of 124mm.
Whitianga saw its second wettest July since records began in 1987, with 401.8mm over the month and an average of 200mm. The town's wettest July was in 1998 with 658.4mm.
A section of SH35 near Te Kaha that collapsed into the Motu River last month. Photo / NZME
MetService's communications meteorologist, Lewis Ferris, said Rotorua and Tauranga were set for a dry week compared to July.
"Looks like some showers will move across the region on Wednesday but there's a chance that coastal areas will remain dry."
He said the "next risk of wet weather comes in the weekend, but people will need to keep up with the forecasts this week to find which of the days is better for outdoor excursions".
Niwa research forecaster Nava Fedaeff said the "main driving forces" behind the heavy rain "have been consistent low-pressure systems approaching from the northwest, combined with tropical moisture from the Coral Sea".
"We have had frequent air flows from the northerly quarter so originating from a warm and wet place. This is quite different from the southerly and south-westerly systems which are more characteristic of New Zealand winters.
"Frequent high pressure to the east of the country has also blocked low-pressure systems from moving away quickly and prolonging rainfall."
Te Puke farmer Rick Powdrell had recorded 402mm of rain in July with 21 days where rain was recorded.
He said his sister, who lives higher up in Te Puke, recorded over 500mm.
He said previous July months had been "nothing like this".
"A big part of it is on top of 368mm in June, it's a lot of rainfall basically in eight weeks ... it's a lot of water.
"There's been significant rainfall ... if I went back to last week, the ground was as wet here as I think I've ever known it."
He recorded 105mm in one day last week.
"The grounds at the point where you only need sort of 4, 5, 6mm and it just re-saturates the top because the ground's just so wet."
Te Puke farmer Rick Powdrell with his rain gauge. Photo / Mead Norton
He said this level of rain "can be quite challenging for stock" as they have to "eat a lot to get the necessary dry matter" when the grass is so wet.
"Younger cattle are probably the ones that suffer the most - it's just being wet all the time."
But, he said his stock have coped well because the weather had been warm.
"If we get some nice sunny weather now for a bit and it stays relatively well, it potentially could set us up for quite a good spring. Time will tell on that one."
Meanwhile, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Bay of Plenty system manager of maintenance and operations Roger Brady said last week that clean-up and reinstatement works were continuing across the region following recent extreme weather events.
Contractors have been working hard to restore access to communities affected by the impact on the state highway network over the past few weeks, he said.
"Our contractors have responded quickly to the impact of recent weather, and they have really demonstrated their dedication to the communities they serve.
"We have now restored access to the state highway network across the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and through to Tairāwhiti Gisborne, where there has been significant damage."
While in the recovery phase of this work, road users are asked to be mindful there are a number of sites throughout the region under a temporary speed limit and may have some uneven surfaces too.
Brady said winter was a challenging time to carry out work and crews are out monitoring and maintaining the network.
"We are working as quickly as possible to resolve these, although for some locations permanent fixes will need to wait for drier weather
"Our focus will move towards renewing and resurfacing roads when the drier, warmer weather arrives towards the end of the year.
"Wet weather will continue in coming months, roads may need to be close again at short notice. We recommend road users check the Journey Planner before heading out to ensure they have the latest up-to-date information on road conditions."
