Hawke’s Bay’s wet weather: Downpours generally welcome, but ‘variable’ conditions stun farmers

While a dry spell shouldn't be discounted, Hawke's Bay farmers are generally pleased with a little bit of wet weather, despite the variability. Photo / Paul Taylor

Wet conditions in Hawke’s Bay are set to continue until Thursday, and it seems the region’s farmers are both happy and curious about the way this summer is turning out.

A “broad, slow-moving low-pressure system” made its way northeast from Sunday onwards, bringing periods of heavy rainfall and surface flooding in places.

Inland areas of Hawke’s Bay recorded up to 88mm of rain on Sunday, and Wairoa was under a heavy rain watch from Monday evening until Tuesday morning.

Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay president Jim Galloway told Hawke’s Bay Today the recent spell of wet weather has generally been welcomed by farmers across the region, despite conditions not being usual for this time of year.

“It’s so variable it’s not funny. I’m here in Raukawa, and we’ve been reasonably dry, but some places up near the ranges have been exceedingly wet.”

He said some of these places in the ranges probably had close to 200mm of rain or more this month.

“Generally, yes, [the rain] is welcome for most people. It helps with irrigation so the irrigators can take a little break.”

“The grass is green in a lot of places, which is a little unusual for this time of year. We’ve got more grass than what we thought we’d have.”

And while he said things are looking okay at this stage when it comes to the risk of potential drought, a dry autumn could still pose a problem.

“They are still talking about a potential autumn dry, so we still need to be aware it can go dry. It could still be an issue if February, March and April are dry.”

The current weather conditions meant farmers still had a bit of time up their sleeves to make decisions, he said.

“Most people are happy with the production side of things; the economic side is a different matter,” he said.

“People are very much looking forward to more of a normal summer.”

He also mentioned many were still struggling with the ongoing effects of Cyclone Gabrielle, which occurred nearly a year ago.

MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon said rain across the region until Thursday isn’t set to be as heavy as it was on Sunday, and rainfall levels yesterday didn’t reach previous heights.

Monday night into Tuesday, Wairoa recorded 42mm of rain, Te Pōhue recorded 50mm, and Napier Airport recorded 15.6mm. Wotherspoon said the bulk of the rain tended to fall around 4am.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.