General February Weather

[spwill]

Model trend now is for a new High over NZ next week, not good for those who are waiting for rain. Some locations might get a shower at the weekend, a shower chance here Sunday at this stage.

[Michael]

Probably no real rain till april now,when troughs form in the easterlies as the country cools down.

[spwill]

We get the seasonal pattern change in April so yes rain will arrive in April. I think the hope in March is for a sub tropical low to find it's way onto NZ or the westerlies may give some rain to southwest NZ.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Probably no real rain till april now,when troughs form in the easterlies as the country cools down.

Yes, Mick,you are probably correct. Maybe a bit of precipt this WE but it should cool down a bit from next week ,the first week of the, ordinary autumn period, ie. March , April and May.
I don't know about the easterlies in april? maybe the SW may rise

[David]

Campbell Live is covering drought conditions across various regions this week.
Yesterday it was Hawkes Bay: http://www.3news.co.nz/Hawkes-Bays-dry- ... fault.aspx
Today it was Bay Of Plenty: http://www.3news.co.nz/Bay-of-Plentys-p ... fault.aspx

[Storm Struck]

I actually cant see where the rain is coming from for this weekend, nothing that i could see on the maps indicate any rain for Canterbruy.
Very hazy today under further controlled nearby burnoffs , i dont think farmers should be allowed to burn off until April theres so much potential when the region is under extreme fire risk even if the winds are light.
Not to mention ruining a perfectly nice day.

[Richard]

Very hazy today under further controlled nearby burnoffs , i dont think farmers should be allowed to burn off until April theres so much potential when the region is under extreme fire risk even if the winds are light.
Not to mention ruining a perfectly nice day.

Yes a lot of haze yesterday alright,i had to come to CHCH and when i left here the hills were as clear as,once past Waipara i drove into all that smoke and haze,i suppose thats one good thing about been in a dairy farming area,no burn off's,but in early spring some of the hill farms do a bit.

Misty start to the day here this morning with yet another very warm again,last two days its been 31 deg,should be about the same today as well.

[Orion]

Fine drizzle here for the last few hours, visibility about 500 metres.
14.8 degrees, 84% humidity.

[Manukau heads obs]

sounds like an official drought will be decleared today...

[Weather Watcher]

Very hazy today under further controlled nearby burnoffs , i dont think farmers should be allowed to burn off until April theres so much potential when the region is under extreme fire risk even if the winds are light.

What are the farmers burning?

[Michael]

Think it looks likely on friday because of the trough/low over the north island...think lack of rain exccabated the needles,any whiff from the SW brings them now as late they havent been that strong.

Probably no real rain till april now,when troughs form in the easterlies as the country cools down.

Yes, Mick,you are probably correct. Maybe a bit of precipt this WE but it should cool down a bit from next week ,the first week of the, ordinary autumn period, ie. March , April and May.
I don't know about the easterlies in april? maybe the SW may rise

[Orion]

Very hazy today under further controlled nearby burnoffs , i dont think farmers should be allowed to burn off until April theres so much potential when the region is under extreme fire risk even if the winds are light.

What are the farmers burning?

Agricultural residue, i.e. short stubble left after harvest of grain/seeds and after straw has been baled.

[Weather Watcher]

Thanks. I've been noticing quite a lot of fires on the Canterbury radar over the last 2-3 weeks. I guessed they were from farms, but didn't know what they were burning.

[Razor]

Very hazy today under further controlled nearby burnoffs , i dont think farmers should be allowed to burn off until April theres so much potential when the region is under extreme fire risk even if the winds are light.

What are the farmers burning?

The fire risk has not been extreme for some time, thanks to the NE takign the edge off the heat, and the cooler nights. Mainly hovering round the moderate level. Normal farming practices of stubble burns are perfectly appropriate on the days where it is not a hot NW or similar wind

[melja]

Yes I think farmers know very well how to do a controlled burnoff and they have to get a permit and comply with many regulations, how many have you seen get out of control.
Towny lifestyle blocks are the main problem now with little grass control and little clues on having a bonfire.

[David]

Northland the first to be officially in drought

The Government has officially declared a state of drought in Northland.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy said the weather in Northland was beyond "a normal dry summer", and had moved into an extreme climatic event.

"The entire North Island is extremely dry, but Northland is one of the worst-hit areas.

"The declaration of a medium-scale event means that extra Government funding will now be available to co-ordinate support through local organisations like the Rural Support Trusts.

In extreme cases there will also be Rural Assistance Payments (RAPs) available to farmers in severe hardship.

Full article
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politic ... t-declares

[03Stormchaser]

Dust devil from Hamilton from yesterday.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8358294 ... y-continue

[jamie]

Dust devil from Hamilton from yesterday.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8358294 ... y-continue

I believe this was actually taken a few days earlier from the conversation i saw on the waikato times FB page. I was rolling my eyes when on my FB news feed waikato times had written, hold onto your hats, small tornado reported in Rototuna. I quickly made the comment that it was a whirl wind/dust devil and there was no chance on it being a tornado. Glad they got it right in the article. It was someone commenting on that, that said they caught video of another one ealier.

These seem to be quite common in the Waikato during dry summers about this time of year. I usually see a couple of huge ones like this one reported each summer thats dry.

[snowstormwatcher]

Fine warm day here in Fairlie with with a max of 25c. As other have noted its very hazy with lots of Burnoffs, struggling to see the Mountains today.

[CHCH Weather Chaser]

22 days since the last measured rain. Might be coming to an end on Saturday as GFS at lunchtime today indicates this. See what the latest run through says soon. 24 degrees the high today.

[NZstorm]

Dust devil from Hamilton from yesterday.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/8358294 ... y-continue

I thought you needed to go to Arizona to see one of those!

[03Stormchaser]

Opps my Bad it was recorded on Sunday.

[03Stormchaser]

22 days since the last measured rain. Might be coming to an end on Saturday as GFS at lunchtime today indicates this. See what the latest run through says soon. 24 degrees the high today.

I highly doubt we will get any rain from this event. Models arnt in any agreement at this stage.

[CHCH Weather Chaser]

22 days since the last measured rain. Might be coming to an end on Saturday as GFS at lunchtime today indicates this. See what the latest run through says soon. 24 degrees the high today.

I highly doubt we will get any rain from this event. Models arnt in any agreement at this stage.

I havent thought we would either. GFS has hinted at it a couple of times but mostly wiped it away. If we get anything will be drizzle and all we need is 0.2mm to break the trend.

[jamie]

Really good moon rise tonight.