El-Nino Down-Under

Wild weather hits upper North Island

Trees were blown over and roofs lifted as strong winds and heavy rain battered the upper North Island overnight.

Photo: MetService

Radio NZ,

2 January, 2016

Fire Service said crews attended about 30 weather-related callouts, spread throughout the Auckland and Waikato areas, although there was a concentration in Te Aroha with 12 callouts.

Fire Service shift manager Paul Radden said there were no flood related callouts, no injuries reported, and only two incidents of damage to property.

Lines company Vector said trees being blown onto lines are to blame for all 2400 homes being without power in the Auckland, Kaipara and Kawau Island areas.

MetService said there were still severe weather warnings in place from Northland down to the western Bay of Plenty, with between 100 and 150mm of rain still expected.

Heavy rain warnings apply this morning to northern and western parts of the country, with strong winds expected to hit the upper North Island.

Periods of heavy rain are also forecast for Auckland and surrounding areas, mainly north of the harbour bridge and around the Hunua Ranges.

In Northland, falls of 110 to 140mm are expected, especially in northern and eastern parts.

The Mt Taranaki, north-west Nelson and Buller areas are also warned to expect heavy rain that will not ease until midday tomorrow.

Those planning outdoor trips are advised rivers and streams are likely to rise rapidly.

Heavyrain, gales in North as storm bears down on holiday hotspots

Bad weather has ushered in the New Year with rain battering the far North and western parts of the country on Friday - and it's expected to last most of the weekend.

MetService Meteorologist Derek Holland said the bad weather is to due to a rain band coming down from the tropics, which will hang around until Sunday.

MetService have a heavy rain warning in place for the far North and parts of the West coast from Taranaki to Buller until Sunday evening.

From growing up in Canterbury I cannot imagine a scene like in the photograph. There were trees and shelter belts EVERYWHERE. They have been cut down to make way for the dairy 'miracle'. Now reap the rewards! What goes around comes round.

Never mind! It's all ok - the farmers just bring the feed in from Indonesia or the Amazon... or somewhere.

North Canterbury is the drought epicentre as El Nino heats up

Tony Benny

There's still no end in sight to the drought afflicting North Canterbury.

North Canterbury remains the hot zone with farmers enduring a second year of drought as an El Nino summer browns off paddocks.

The Hurunui district has been the centre of drought concern although this has widened more lately along parts of the South Island east coast with Marlborough grape growers starting to worry about a water shortage in the month ahead during grape ripening.

Marlborough was facing record-breaking dry conditions without rain - on par with the big droughts of 1973, 1998 and 2001.

Much of the concern centres around Hurunui farmers who last year had to bring in expensive feed to get their stock through drought or downsized flocks and herds and are now into their second year of a lengthy dry spell. Parts of North Canterbury received scattered rain the past fortnight, but soil moisture deficits are low and there has been little drought relief.

READ MORE:
* Farmers suffer in drought-ridden pocket of North Canterbury* Marlborough drought could break records

Federated Farmers national president William Rolleston said the South Island was showing strain where the El Nino summer was creating a drought growing worse by the day and this was uppermost in North Canterbury.

"My view is it's North Canterbury we can't forget about because they have been really under the pump for two years now. I flew to Wellington a couple of months ago and all the south faces were green and all the north faces were brown like someone had painted it with a big brush. I would imagine that it's all brown now and they are all struggling."

He said North Canterbury farmers would be under pressure and they needed to look after themselves and each other.

"North Canterbury is really where they are hit hardest. Marlborough is on course for a record dry, but it's used to that dry and that's how they farm up there. I can't speak for the winegrowers, but I guess they will be hit hard if they can't get water for their vines."

Tonga braces for impact of Cyclone Ula

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Radio NZ,

2 January, 2016 

Tonga has declared a state of emergency as tropical cyclone Ula is passing near the northern island of Vava'u.

The prime minister Akilisi Pohiva took the step last night, saying it was in order to prevent or minimise the loss of human life, illness or injury, property loss or damage and damage to the environment.

A hurricane warning is in force for Vava'u as the category 3 system is expected to have destructive winds of 150 kilometres an hour with gusts up to 200 kilometres an hour as it passes to the north of Vava'u.

Laitia Fifita of Tonga's Met Service on Tongatapu says Vava'u is warned to expect flash flooding.

"It is expected that the speed of movement of the tropical cyclone will speed up a little bit, so at around midday today it is expected to lie further west out of from the island of Vava'u and continue on a south southwest direction."

Liatia Fifita says the weather station in Vava'u has reported heavy rain and damage to vegetation.

The cyclone is expected to weaken when it reaches Fiji's Lau group by tomorrow.

Map tracking Cyclone Ula       Photo: Fiji Met Service