KEY POINTS:
The Golden summer that has seen New Zealand reach temperatures more akin to our Australian neighbours' may finally be over.
Just as Kiwis were becoming used to long, hot summer days and warm sea temperatures, the merchants of weather doom have offered a gloomy forecast. "This period of
fine, settled weather is going to end in the next few days. And March is when the weather starts to slide," said the Met Office's Oliver Druce.
Wet, windy, stormy weather is forecast for the next three days, with a substantial amount of rain for the northern half of the North Island tomorrow. Showers would change into gusts of wind and cooler air on Tuesday and Wednesday as a south-westerly moves up the country.
He said average temperatures across New Zealand in the past week were a few degrees higher than normal for March, although short of historical highs for the month.
Gisborne, Napier, Hastings and Kawerau had all hit 28C in the past few days, 26C for Auckland, Hamilton and Palmerston North, while Tauranga, Taupo and Wellington hovered around 22C. The hot weather has given a boost to ice makers and air conditioning companies.
Bob Benzie, whose company hires air conditioning units, says he has seen an increased demand. "A lot of people have hired them over the summer - people who have just had a baby or a relative who has come home from hospital and want them to be a bit more comfortable in the heat."
Coolit Ice owner Warren Goudie says sales are up 20 per cent on last year. He says there is no lack of ice, it is just a matter of distributing it fast enough. The factory produces 60-70 tonnes of ice six days a week.
But farmers appear to be bearing the brunt. A cold December and dry start to the year has stunted grass growth and left famers feeding livestock hay usually reserved for winter.
South Head farmer Noel Higham says if the dry weather continues until April, it could become serious.
"Our livestock certainly won't be putting on any weight but the dairy farmers will be having a harder run and may have to stop milking a lot earlier than usual," he says.
Despite dry weather, the national average temperature for February was 16.7C, 0.4C lower than normal. The highest temperature was 33.4C at Murchison on February 7.
Ranfurly had no measurable rainfall during February and rainfall totalled only 0.4mm at Lake Tekapo, making it the driest February there in over 80 years. Mt Cook Village recorded its driest February in more than 75 years. Less than 10mm of rain occurred in parts of Auckland, Nelson and Tekapo, and in North and Central Otago.
