General January Weather

[Dale]

Very dry all around this area also, silage is being dished out across the road (has been for over a week now) & the owner of this place said of a mate of his.. would normally get a thousand bales of silage in a cut but nly managed around 250-300 this time round. Only green patch around the place seems to be where I have watered in the evenings.

To think a few months ago I was sick to the back teeth of rain.. total opposite now lol.
Still, lovely day out this arvo

[David]

Still, lovely day out this arvo

Yes, although it's rather humid, the cloudiness is keeping the temps down below the forecast 25 here. I guess that's a good thing? lol

[DT-NZ]

continuous drizzle here as tim said and its starting to mount up a bit . up to nearly 6mm now.

dry conditions here are just now starting to show in farmers decisions. many are quickly going on once a day and lots of silage is being fed out.
my parents were up north for a holiday and said it looks terrible up there. much like the drought we had a few years ago where the maize only gets to fence height and the paddocks look like they are in the middle of having ground work done to them.

Hi jamie.h I'm glad you received some moisture down your way... 6mm is Awesome

Yes, your parent's are not wrong in that the dry conditions up this way are terrible, there are some places out west that midly green and look good, however, here out on the east coast and some places inland, it is sad... actually, I don't think I want to do anymore dry pics from up here - because, it is sad.

I'm glad you are able to identify, relate and see the reality of the dry situation up here the paddocks look like they are in the middle of having ground work done to them.

Yesterday I went out... and took a couple of dry pics ( I've placed them over on the weather blog to keep them all in one place ).

[Myself]

NZ droughts and dry spells seem to be troublesome because their location varies from year to year.
Much of California gets no rainfall for about 3 months of the year, and almost nothing for 1 month either side of that. So basically it's a 5 month period with no "useful rain". If you go there during this period, every hill is brown. It's normal. Just the way it is. It's the same with most of the Mediterranean. These locations also get higher temperatures (eg average summer highs range from 25C-36C depending on location, whereas in NZ nowhere has an average summer high above 25C), AND longer sunshine hours!
But if you see brown hills in NZ there's a huge panic attack, government support is mooted and farmers are on the edge.
I don't know what can be done about this, because one year Canterbury will be very dry, and the next it will not. It's not really something that can be predicted (witness the doom and gloom September media articles predicting Canterbury drought for this summer).
But we need to realise that other countries run sheep and cattle farms, and raise crops, all whilst suffering much longer, hotter, drier and sunnier summers than anywhere in New Zealand. So it is possible to cope. Maybe we just lack the mechanisms or the understanding?

[Weetbicks]

Gotta panic about something on the nightly news I spose…

[Michael]

Should be sensible farming,drought area prone used for wine and horticulture,Waikato,Southland etc still dairy-sheep but basic shelters for keeping out of heat with water available.Anyway suns shining now and temp rising....

[DT-NZ]

Should be sensible farming,drought area prone used for wine and horticulture,Waikato,Southland etc still dairy-sheep but basic shelters for keeping out of heat with water available.Anyway suns shining now and temp rising....

Hi Michael

Yes, there are area's in the FN region that do have established vineyards and over the last couple of years advocado and a few olive plantations have started up here, hopefully the climate conditions will support the sustainability and success (longterm ) of these plantations.

Anyway... sun's still shining here and it's humid... still, that breeze is nice

[DT-NZ]

So it is possible to cope. Maybe we just lack the mechanisms or the understanding?

I agree and hopefully we learn from these conditions when they happen, hopefully... and we learn importantly to adapt, manage and work through these changes accordingly.

[snowstormwatcher]

Another cloudy day here after some early drizzle cleared warm though high of 20 degrees easterly wind just starting to pick up.

[spwill]

Got up to 26C/18C dewpoint,a warm muggy afternoon.
Photo, seabreeze convergence line over East Auckland.

[NZstorm]

Some electrical activity over the inland Kaikoura ranges and an isolated strike inland from Wanganui.

Some large punchy T/cu to the SE of here.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Nice dark looking convergence line to the south of here arriving back home from work around 4:45pm
Nothing in it, sadly

JohnGaul
NZThS

[Dale]

Light shower (finally) overhead, has done absolutely jack squat to cool things down, the opposite infact & added a little more moisture to an already humid evening.
Birds are loving it however

[Manukau heads obs]

classic summers afternoon today, with inland sea breeze convergence cloud line
one of our warmer days here, before the sea breeze came in

looking for rain here too....
maybe a tropical low might move down in a week or so time?

check out Rick'ys all day video he has got going agian here:
http://www.portunus.net.nz/weather/videolastday.wmv

[David]

classic summers afternoon today, with inland sea breeze convergence cloud line
one of our warmer days here, before the sea breeze came in

You were warmer than me for a change Brian!
Generally cloudy here (a little sun) all day....very gentle breezes but several changes in direction throughout the day.

[Michael]

He gets the air over the kaipara.-warmer from the NE We also got it hot today hardly any wind too.It will get hotter across the deficit of water on dry ground until we get some rain now.

[NZstorm]

The latest gfs develops a small low up near Norfolk Island tomorrow and brings it down onto northern NZ by midnight tomorrow. It doesn't look much but if it comes off it brings in higher moisture/instability and boosts rainfall amounts over Northland from this next system. See what the next run or two looks like on this.

[Tornado Tim]

Another lot of showers passed though, 5.0mm fell during the night.

[snowstormwatcher]

Overcast here this morning 3.5mm of rain overnight mild low of 13.2.

[DT-NZ]

On the cooler side this morning - overcast skies currently 17.8°C.

[DT-NZ]

The latest gfs develops a small low up near Norfolk Island tomorrow and brings it down onto northern NZ by midnight tomorrow. It doesn't look much but if it comes off it brings in higher moisture/instability and boosts rainfall amounts over Northland from this next system. See what the next run or two looks like on this.

Be good if this low develops - all moisture/instability to boost rainfall amounts will be appreciated in the FN region, the ground and stock need some good rainfall.

[jamie]

Pardon my French but **** its hot and muggy this morning. I had sweat pouring off me during milking and the sky to the E-SE looks unstable as. perfect day to go wakeboarding

[Tornado Tim]

Pardon my French but **** its hot and muggy this morning. I had sweat pouring off me during milking and the sky to the E-SE looks unstable as. perfect day to go wakeboarding

Yes my forecast says a chance of thunder...... Will have to see how it pans out.

[spwill]

18C dewpoints here, at the uncomfortable level. Already 24C, mostly sunny, a day for the beach.

[Michael]

[quote="jamie.h"]Pardon my French but ****

Pourquoi?