Rain wasn't enough - dry week ahead

Last week's rain may have helped dampen the soil in Canterbury but was insufficient to break the drought in the North Island. MetService meteorologists are forecasting a return to warm dry weather for much of this week.

"Last week we had unsettled weather, but this week the pattern of summer is returning with another warm dry anticyclone", commented MetService Weather Ambassador, Bob McDavitt.

Canterbury and Westland bore the brunt of most of last week's rain with 30 to 70 mm, and reaching over 100 mm around parts of Christchurch. Other parts of the South Island received less than 25 mm of rain, and Southland had less than 10 mm.

The North Island's share of this rain was between 20 and 40 mm for the Far North and areas about and south of Taranaki to Hawke's Bay. Total rainfalls were less than 20mm in Auckland, Waikato and Gisborne, and less than 10mm in the Bay of Plenty.

"This wasn't enough to turn the North Island green", said Mr. McDavitt. "The next rain of any consequence is likely to reach Northland on Friday as a low-pressure system arrives from the subtropics."