Crews were on-site at SH5 (Napier-Taupo) to cool the road after a truck slid off the road and were on Tuesday continuing to monitor the road. Photo / Supplied
Crews were on-site at SH5 (Napier-Taupo) to cool the road after a truck slid off the road and were on Tuesday continuing to monitor the road. Photo / Supplied
Firefighters were responding to three calls in Hawke's Bay early this afternoon as temperatures hit 32 degrees Celsius in more northern areas of the region.
While the first at 1.23pm was to a motor vehicle accident on Tiniroto Rd, Ruakituri, north of Wairoa, the other two were linked to the drier and warmer weather, with an appliance and a tanker at a tree-slash fire reported at 1.28pm at a property off Kereru Rd, Maraekakaho (west of Hastings), and a tree fire near Frasertown, reported at 1.53pm and requiring the gathering of a second crew from the Wairoa Volunteer Fire Brigade.
The calls came about the time Hawke's Bay was experience some of the hottest temperatures in the country, with MetService recording apparent peaks of 32.2C in Wairoa, 31.7C at Hawke's Bay Airport, north of Napier, about 1pm or soon afterwards.
It was also 30.9C in Hastings, where it was still over 30C after 4.30pm, while having dipped under 23C in Napier.
Early-afternoon temperatures in central and southern Hawke's Bay were cooler than further north, with 24.1C on the Takapau Plains south of Waipukurau and 22.7C in Dannevirke.
Bitumen issues on the Hawke's Bay Expressway. NZTA advised kerosene or baby oil as fixes for bitumen splashes on motor vehicle paintwork. Photo/Paul Taylor
The temperatures had brought continuing highway problems, with melted tar and bitumen evident on the Hawke's Bay Expressway between Hastings and Napier, following Monday's difficulties on the Napier-Taupo highway in which a truck and trailer was unable to climb a hill section and slid backwards into the lane on the opposite side of the road.
At times other trucks queued, and Hawke's Bay Today was told traffic was limited to one lane for as much as four hours.
NZ Transport Agency regional manager Oliver Postings said the highways management agency was aware that roads in the region had shown signs of "bleeding seal" or sticky surfaces over the last couple of days.
"This is not unusual as temperatures rise and Hawke's Bay will not be the only region to experience this over the summer months," he said.
Crews were on-site at SH5 (Napier-Taupo) on Monday to cool the road with water carts and were on Tuesday continuing to monitor the road.
"If needed, we will deploy water carts or add chipseal to absorb the bitumen," he said. "We may also impose temporary speed limits if necessary. We advise road users to take care, stick to the speed limits and drive to the conditions."
He said if people had spots of bitumen on their cars, it could be cleaned off with kerosene or baby oil.
MetService meteorologist Claire Nickson said there had been an early-afternoon shift in the winds from the cooler easterly sea breeze.
"It turned entirely to the west and temperatures jumped by a few degrees," she said.
While Wednesday is expected to be a little cooler, temperatures of 27-28C are forecast for Thursday and Friday, with a minimum on Thursday night of about 17C.
The hot temperatures follow a wet October in which some areas had rainfall three times the October average, according to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's monthly rain report.
The heaviest rainfall for the month in its network was the 302mm at Waipoapoa in the more southerly reaches of the council area and almost 2.8 times the average for the month.
On the Heretaunga Plains the 157.8mm at Bridge Pa was almost three-and-a-half times the October average of 44mm, while at Mt Manuaoha in the Waikaremoana region of inland northern Hawke's Bay, rainfall was just over the station's monthly October average of 270mm, highlighting the variations of the region.
