Hawke's Bay weather: Rain on plains mainly the same, as last year

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council rainmap for January.

Hawke's Bay has had a second month of well-below-average rainfall in the wake of the November 9 flood in Napier.

The details are revealed in the Hawke's Bay Regional Council's monthly rainfall report for January, which shows totals at almost half of a selected range of 49 recording stations from Waikaremoana to Porangahau had less than half their January average.

Across the region rainfall averaged 57 per cent of the January average, slightly better than the 53 per cent in December. All areas were below average last month, and all but northern Hawke's Bay and Waikaremoana had gone two consecutive months below average.

Just two of the stations had more than 100mm of rain for the month, topped by an above-average January of 114.4mm at Te Pohue.

Contrasting was the 8.5mm at Waipoapoa, the southern extremity of the rain-band that flooded Napier. It was just 8 per cent of the station's January average, following 34.2mm in December, and 342.5mm in November.

Stations in the Waikaremoana area averaged 56 per cent of the January average, northern Hawke's Bay from Kopuawhara to Kotemaori averaged 40 per cent. The Tangoio area north and northwest of Napier averaged 76 per cent, and the mountain regions of Kaweka and Ruahine had 62 per cent and 55 per cent respectively.

Heretaunga Plains rainfall averaged 59 per cent, with falls in the Napier CBD and Bridge Pa both under 12mm, while stations on the Ruataniwha Plains averaged 63 per cent and in southern Hawke's Bay 46 per cent.

Rainfalls in the area from Tangoio to southern Hawke's Bay in December-January a year ago were also well below the average.

Regional council principal scientist air Dr Kathleen Kozyniak said: "The latest report doesn't make for terrific reading."