KEY POINTS:
Stuck in the grip of the region's driest conditions in more than a century, Waikato got some much-needed rain yesterday.
But while some farmers are becoming more optimistic about better times because of shorter and cooler days ahead, the rainfall was not enough to break the region's first official drought.
Hamilton, which last month had its highest March temperature - 29.4C on the 16th - recorded 22.5 mm of rain to 7am yesterday.
The remote area of Waitanguru was drenched with 52.5mm, but eastern areas such as Paeroa recorded only 4mm and the Pinnacles in the Coromandel ranges had a paltry 3.5mm.
Niwa agricultural climatologist Alan Porteous said that although forecasts for total rainfall from April to June were expected to be normal, at least 75mm of rain was needed to get soil moisture back to standard levels for this time of year.
"To completely fill the soil profiles you're probably looking at about 150mm of rain, which is double the normal level," he said.
However, he said, any rainfall at this time of year in the region would be more effective as the rate at which pasture used up moisture began to decrease.
Dry stock farmer Grant Vercoe, whose parched 400ha Tauhei farm about 30km north east of Hamilton had 30mm of rain by yesterday morning, believed the worst of the drought was over.
"It has to break at some stage, it can't carry on that way," he said. "We've hopefully turned the corner and I'm sure we're not going to get the big heatwaves like we've had in the past couple of weeks."
But Environment Waikato chairman and North Waikato farmer, Peter Buckley, said the effects of the drought would likely be felt for at least the next 12 months.
He said consistent rain was needed over the next few weeks before winter set in and grass growth was stunted.
"And with the air temperatures and the rain we are having there is also a possibility of facial eczema ... so farmers might have to start doing something about that as spore counts go up."
Mr Buckley, who is also a trustee with the Rural Support Trust, said the summer had been "particularly tough" on farmers, who had been copping it from all sides.
He said some farmers were paying up to $227 for a bale of silage and close to $480 for a tonne of palm kernel.
"Last year a bale of silage cost about $60 and [a tonne of] palm kernel was less than $200 so this is just another thing which is causing a lot of anxiety."
MetService forecaster William Nepe said fine weather was expected through most of the region until Saturday, when there was a possibility of a low ridge of pressure bringing rain.
