Record dry spell over, but rain relief may be minimal

Break out your brollies – the longest dry spell Christchurch has experienced for almost 75 years is over.

Forty-seven days without rain came to an end at 10am yesterday when equipment measuring rainfall at Christchurch Airport tipped over the 1-millimetre mark, the amount forecasters use to decide whether rain has fallen on any particular day.

But gardeners hoping their tired plants will spring back to life

"It's not going to be a significant rainfall for Christchurch." MetService meteorologist Amanda De Monte

should not breathe easy yet. The city received a ‘‘smattering’’ of rain yesterday and, while a little more is expected today, dry weather will return later in the week.

MetService meteorologist Amanda De Monte said yesterday: ‘‘The dry spell record is over.

‘‘The earliest showers hit around 10am this morning, which would have been the breaking of the dry spell.

‘‘That being said, the amount of rain expected in Christchurch today and tomorrow is not expected to be great, perhaps 5 to 10mm.’’

As of 2.45pm yesterday the airport had measured 3.6mm of rain, which broke the longest spell of dry weather in the city since 1943.

‘‘It’s enough to break the dry spell record, but it’s not going to be a significant rainfall for Christchurch,’’ De Monte said.

‘‘Certainly for farmers and agriculturalists who are desperate for a break in the drought-like conditions, [they] are not going to see a lot of reprieve today and tomorrow.’’

Not all areas of the city saw rain, with winds from the northeast confining showers to the western suburbs.

Heavier rain was expected to spread across more of the city today and take levels up towards 10mm.

More is expected tomorrow morning, before dry weather returns on Friday and Saturday.

There may be some respite next week – weather systems are expected to bring more rain on Monday and Wednesday.