Feel the heat:
Fun for some, pain for others
Humidity is predicted to get worse in Northland as the week unfolds but wait — the mercury is likely to drop a wee bit with the possibility of heavy rain and even thunderstorms this weekend.
Hot? Brace yourself — it’s going to get hotter.
Northland is baking with summerlike weather, having some basking in the unseasonal warmth but others bracing for the prospect this might set the tone for months to come.
There are concerns over low water levels, particularly in the midnorth and west coast, with farmers concerned at the impact on stock if it continues.
However, those business owners who look forward to summer are already seeing more people out and about and sales are booming.
Daytime temperatures are hovering around 25C in most places, dropping to about 16C at night. That’s a jump from historic averages of about 18C during the day and 12C at night.
Niwa said people would start to feel humidity rising from today, with the unusual warmth continuing for much of this week.
“Warm air from across the Tasman is helping keep things warm. We’ve also had a good amount of sunshine lately so people are starting to feel the stickiness to the atmosphere,” Niwa forecasting principal scientist Chris Brandolino said.
There’s some brief respite on Sunday or Monday with wind currents from the southern ocean but that weather pattern wouldn’t
We don’t want to miss a good milk payout because of drought. Okaihau dairy farmer Terence Brocx
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hang around long.
If the promised rain falls, it’s going to bring muggy weather.
“The weather will warm back up next week. The next three months as a whole on average, we’ll see average or above average temperatures in Northland.
“There will, however, be cooler periods but they won’t define the next three months. They will be few and far in between. Also, rainfall is likely to be normal or below normal.”
He said for some people such as farmers, prolonged dry and humid weather could potentially be painful.
Okaihau dairy farmer Terence Brocx’s car showed a temperature of 36.5C at 2.29pm on Monday.
He said little or no rain for the rest of November could spell trouble for farmers.
“We’re in peak production and need rain in the next 10 days or so because the paddocks are showing signs of heat stress. We don’t want to miss a good milk payout because of drought.”
Brocx said since Northland has had a wet and cold October, a lot of crops have not germinated and the status quo would remain if the present dry weather continued.
His farms in Okaihau and Ohaeawai are about 15km northwest of Kaikohe where the Far North District Council imposed water restrictions two weeks ago.
Northland Federated Farmers president John Blackwell said a lack of water could become an issue with parts of the region experiencing less than half normal rainfall in the last 12 months. The worst case scenario would mean farmers getting rid of stock, he said.
At the New Zealand Fudge Farm Factory and Cafe in the Whangarei Town Basin, ice-cream, cold drinks and smoothies were “flying out the door”, said owner Grant Snelgar.
“We’ve noticed a big pick-up in our business since just before the Labour weekend.
“There’s talk of a hot, dry summer which should be very good because weather has a huge impact on our business.”
Snelgar said the developing Hundertwasser Art Centre could draw a lot more people around the Town Basin area over warmer months.
The Heley family from Bendigo in Australia arrived in Whanga¯rei on Monday and gave the weather a huge thumbs-up.
“We wanted more warm weather and Northland is more tropical than the south. It’s a lovely place, clean and green, and people are friendly — it’s got my endorsement,” Campbell Heley said.
While warm weather typically drives people to beaches, shark expert Clinton Duffy said this was the time different species of shark moved to warmer waters to breed and urged people to be cautious.
“October to February is the time they move inshore. Bronze whalers move to give birth . . . they are not dangerous but people just have to exercise care with any sharks 1.8m or larger because they can be particularly dangerous.
“They have big enough mouth and big enough teeth to inflict serious injuries. However, it takes prolonged periods of warm weather and onshore winds before we get a bit larger oceanic sharks,” Duffy said.
Lifeguards are experiencing an influx of people at Northland beaches, especially since last weekend.
“If the present weather continues, we’re in for a busy summer which will put our resources under a lot of pressure,” Ollie Irwin, paid lifeguard supervisor said.