For farmers, this autumn was one of the best they have had in a long time with stock and feed reasonably well placed going into the winter months.
Hawke's Bay Federated Farmers president Will Foley said with the large amounts of rain dams and groundwater have had a good recharge that they wouldn't have necessarily got last year. Although, Foley said, it would have been better if it didn't all come at once.
"Farmers stocked up after the summer dry and so with the wet and colder nights pasture covers were dropping but in saying that most farmers were in a good position to get through winter in good shape," Foley said.
Gillian Mangin and Annette Carey, of Ministry of Primary Industries Policy, Ahuriri, said snow and frosts at the end of the month had slowed pasture growth but stock was in good condition, although some farmers had lower stock numbers than usual for winter.
With regards to dairy production Mangin and Carey said they ended the season slightly up on last year.
Dairy farmers have culled more cows in the past couple of months, taking advantage of the relatively good beef prices to reduce numbers of poorer performing cows.
This will lessen the need to buy in supplementary feed if winter pasture growth
is below expectation.
This pattern of cooler temperatures and periods of rain seen through much of May will continue during the weekend with a weak southerly change.
MetService meteorologist Tom Adams said the southerly change would move up the country today bringing scattered showers in the afternoon, mainly in the coastal areas.
"On Sunday any remaining showers should clear in the morning and then it should be a mainly fine day."
With the southerly temperatures were expected to drop down to 2C overnight tonight and 4C overnight tomorrow for both Hastings and Napier.
"People can expect some frost and cooler mornings."
Looking ahead to next week Adams said Monday should be a fine day with the winds swinging to a northwesterly.
"This will mean it will feel warmer with temperatures during the day getting up to 18C."
Further ahead than Monday was hard to predict weatherwise but Adams said there would be some fronts accompanied with some fine spells.
"At this stage the week gets a bit messy from Wednesday."