Just how wet is it?

Just how wet is it?

According to HBRC, Hawke’s Bay last six months have been the wettest since records began!

Regional Council Team Leader Air, Marine and Land Science, Dr Kathleen Kozyniak says “December was our fifth consecutive month of above normal rainfall for the region and totals are already above normal for January, making it the sixth consecutive month. Since July 2022, rainfall accumulations are the highest on record for 35 of the 43 council’s monitoring sites.”

And looking more closely at the last month, December, this chart depicts the story.

What those bars translate into:

Rainfall was 212% above normal December rainfall for the Heretaunga Plains, 199% above for the Ruataniwha Plains, 154% above for Southern HB, 112% for Northern HB, and 162% above normal for the entire region.

River flows were 227% above normal December for the region, including 250% for the Tūtaekuri, 243% for the Ngaruroro (Chesterhope), 239% for the Tukituki, and 224% for the Mohaka.

Soil moisture was well above normal, with the preponderance of groundwater measurement sites above normal, with many recording highest ever levels.

Soggy vacations are one disappointment, but for the region’s farmers and growers, the situation is truly grim.

Jim Galloway, Hawke’s Bay Federated Farmers President, says it has been a long, hard spring for farmers across the region.  “All this rain has left very tight windows to get jobs done.  It has been very stressful”.
 
“Grass growth only really started from mid-November meaning lamb weights and milk yields are down.  And spare a thought for the poor silage guys.  The rain has also impacted cropping with slow growth or crops being drowned out altogether,” says Mr Galloway.