Weather

Delayed El Niño drought prospects blamed for pullback in GDT prices after surge.

Phil Duncan’s Spidey senses have been warning him about the drier pattern that is now emerging.

FMG has resolved 80% of Cyclone Gabrielle and Auckland flooding insurance claims.

Many have Commence the Re-Fence to thank for helping relieve rebuild pain.

More high pressure will encourage more westerlies over NZ, says Phil Duncan.

Phil Duncan has a conversation that highlights how farmers and forecasters can work together intelligently.

Summer 2023/24 will be running hot and cold, with widely divergent conditions over the North and South Islands.

For many, the financial hurt continues from income disruption and damage wreaked during that storm and flooding, “never mind whatever hardship might be ahead of them”.

Cyclone Lola could mean ours is a broken El Niño, and that’s a good thing, says Phil Duncan.

Economic factors may mean that some farmers will not be able to buy their way out of feed shortfalls, Feds warns.

Orchardists preparing for rough weekend, but with most lambing finished, late spring falls and flurries were welcomed by farmers.

Phil Duncan warns farmers to slip, slap, slop as NZ’s unjustly high rays start to sting.

Phil Duncan takes the country’s temperature and gauges its rainfall.

Phil Duncan focuses on the shorter term and likes what he sees.

The well-known bull sale shed was relatively unharmed, but the farm suffered extensive damage to several other buildings. 

In other words, the weather pattern has been emerging for several weeks now and many around NZ have noticed the change to milder and drier conditions. 

Arrival of El Niño has fire services on the alert.

Today’s threat comes from high river flows breaching their banks.

A ‘significant event, and particularly impactful for the rural community given the time of the year’.

It takes a very particular set-up to break 40degC in New Zealand, says Phil Duncan.

Otago Regional Council installs remote solar-powered gauge as it extends flood warning system.

A gradually drier and drier weather pattern will emerge in the east and north.

The first signs of the weather system are apparent in the dry conditions taking hold in eastern regions.

Phil Duncan takes NZ’s temperature as spring arrives in NZ.

Somewhere beyond the cloud cover, the days are getting longer.

It may not feel like it, but the solar winter is over and there’s more daylight around.

NZ is actually in quite a positive phase of weather from a farming and growing point of view, says weatherman Phil Duncan.

Call for controlled burns to minimise fuel load as El Niño looms.

Because of the chaotic weather pattern this year, basically every part of the country has had soaking rains and warmer than average temperatures.

Report compares how pasture, indigenous planting and pine plantations stood up to Cyclone Gabrielle.

The never-ending rain is floating heavy stock off the farms and into the saleyards, where returns are softer but still respectable.

According to NIWA, this has been the wettest first half of the year on record for several areas in the northern and eastern North Island.

Strong westerlies and patches of sunshine in early July have helped dry out some places, but further rain forecast for next week will see the recovery go backwards.

Some locations have had over a year’s worth of rain at the halfway mark.

With most of the country in the grip of wet conditions, the team at WeatherWatch look ahead to see what farmers can expect over the cold winter months.

Heavy snowfall takes out dairy farm shed and interrupts power supplies in the South.