Hawke’s Bay is experiencing the upper side of seasonal extremes as temperatures hit 28C in Napier and Hastings, less than 24 hours after up to 30mm of rain fell in Central Hawke’s Bay.
Temperatures up to 29C had been forecast for Friday and 30C for Saturday, while Thursday’s rain came after weather agency MetService had issued a mid-afternoon “severe thunderstorm warning”.
Omakere farmer Mark Warren conjectured, on social media, that the rain on his property was worth $50,000 in productivity per inch (25.4mm), while Tararua farmer Simon Collin told Hawke’s Bay Today his gauge had seen 40mm since Friday.
“We’ve had a bit,” he said, noting some farmers are worried after lower-than-average rainfall since mid-winter.