The present drying conditions are not expected to ease until the end of next week, and the outlook for summer is for temperatures to be warmer than usual.
Niwa’s latest Hotspot Watch notes the very dry conditions over large parts of the country, and says in the lower North Island plants will be approaching the wilting point due to the dryness.
The one area faring better than most is the top of East Cape, which has benefited from the moisture dragged down from the sub-tropics by highs tracking further to the south than normal for the time of year.
Since September 3 there have been just 19 days with a millimetre or more of moisture. This has totalled just short of 100mm — less than half the 30-year average rainfall for September, October and November of 213mm.
Irrigation is now in full swing, and water tanker deliveries to country residents are stepping up.
Niwa historical records show November’s rainfall was not particularly unusual for the time of year — but it is worth noting the trend towards drier Novembers over the past decade.
The driest November here was in 1945 with just 2.6mm, but most of the low-rain Novembers have occurred since 2007, with six below 20mm in that period.
Cooler, southerly conditions accounted for two-thirds of the month’s weather — 11 days of south-easterlies, six of southerlies, four of easterlies and one rare day of a south-westerly.
There were only four days of the warm north-westers normally experienced.
Sunshine for the month was close to the normal 215 hours average, but daytime temperatures were well down.
The daily maximum averaged 18.5 degrees, down 2.4 degrees on the 30-year average for November of 20.9.
Night air temperatures came up towards the end of the month, helping the soil to warm and stimulate plant and grass growth, with a near-normal average of 10.6 degrees.
