More bad weather for farmers soon
As Taieri Plains farmers cope with sodden paddocks and the start of calving, MetService has warned of a polar blast heading towards the central and upper South Island and lower North Island from Thursday.
Meteorologist Tom Adams said the southerly would be accompanied by snow flurries to 200 metres but he predicted the system would not be severe. ‘‘It will mainly affect central and North Canterbury, and the higher altitudes of the North Island.’’ Unlike other recent lows coming from the east, this one would not bring a lot of rain.
Meanwhile Taieri farmers have to wait patiently as water on their inundated paddocks slowly drains away over the next few days. Dairy farmer Mike Lord said it would ‘‘get worse before it gets better.’’
Fortunately it was still just the beginning of calving, but where it had occurred farmers were finding it difficult to access any pasture for the newborns to feed on.
‘‘It’s tiresome to work in such conditions, but we struggle on,’’ he told RNZ.
Farmers were grateful for offers of grazing for when the bulk of the calves arrived in the next two months. The Otago Regional Council confirmed the storm had generated the second biggest flood on record for the Taieri River.
Further north in South Canterbury some farmers became stranded on their properties after heavy rain washed out roads and damaged culverts.
While there were no reports of stock being put at risk yet there was concern about those lambing and calving, and many farmers had reported wind-related damage.
Southburn farmer Jim Anderson, who was looking after his son’s farm between Timaru and Waimate, said the stock were fine, but trees had crashed into fences from high winds.
Adams said the succession of easterly lows in June and July was not usual. The first days of this week usher in a return to a ‘‘classic westerly’’ before the southerly arrives on Thursday.