Summer rain pleases Bay farmers
Drizzly start to week fails to dampen spirits in the region
HIt’s not just Hawke’s Bay experiencing this bad weather. Mark Bowe, MetService
awke’s Bay may be off to a damp and drizzly week, but the region seems to have embraced the rain, especially its farmers. Showers will remain for most of the week and MetService meteorologist Mark Bowe said hail might even be on the cards throughout the next few days. “There’s a front moving over the country at the moment and with that comes showers and they will remain into Tuesday as well. They may be possibly heavy but may be confined to the ranges.” Bowe said although still warm, temperatures would be slightly cooler this week, with highs between 22C and 23C. “In regards to these showers there is a low pressure system to the northeast of the North Island, so that’s what is really driving the showers into the Hawke’s Bay region. “So right now the region is experiencing the front and then you’ll be getting that flow on Tuesday which will see more showers popping up in the region.” Tomorrow would be a damp day, but Thursday looked to be a sunnier with the cloud breaking up, finally exposing blue skies and sunshine. “Friday will be fine with the possibility of the odd shower in the ranges but the urban areas should miss out on all of that. “It’s not just Hawke’s Bay that’s experiencing this bad weather, it’s pretty much all over the North Island.” While not so good for holidaymakers, farmers and crop growers were making the most of the drizzle. Federated Farmers president Jim Galloway said Hawke’s Bay farmers usually prepared for hot, dry summers and found the current weather pattern “fairly unusual”. “It’s phenomenal for this time of year, I’m based at Raukawa and it’s green and not brown like normal,” he said. “I think most people are pretty happy and the area that normally gets the rain has been getting it up into the hills, but then on to the Heretaunga Plains, it’s greener than normal, let’s put it that way.” Galloway said he had heard very few complaints but some farmers were struggling with too much grass growth. “We’re used to having very little grass at this time of the year. If you get plenty of grass, your quality can go and trying to get that back under control is never easy. It can be a bit of a double-edged sword.” Galloway said there had been less irrigation due to an extremely wet November and December. “I was talking to a guy who didn’t have to turn the irrigator on once for his pea crop. “Farmers haven’t really had to use them as much because we’ve had so much rain during the past few months.”