This morning the entire North Island was declared a drought zone by Nathan Guy, the Primary Industries Minister.
Talks had been unfolding throughout the week and as no rain fell yet again this week the announcement was made.
This appears to be a historical move that one entire island has been in a drought at one time.

There’s a possibility that parts of the South Island could also be in a similar situation if rain doesn’t arrive soon.
The forecast later on Sunday and Monday for the North Island suggests some showers or patchy rain however at this point it appears of little significance and certainly not a drought breaker.
The South Island should see light to moderate falls by the end of the weekend and early next week but yet again it doesn’t appear to be substantial enough to break the prolonged dry spell.

“It was just a matter of time before it was announced” says Head Weather Analyst Philip Duncan.” Something had to be done as the situation continues to deteriorate”.
You can’t just wait in the hope that rain will arrive and as we’ve seen lately the promise of rain just doesn’t do it – It just remains a promise which can be even more frustrating”.

The declaration of drought will assist farmers suffering from financial hardship and already there’s suggestions that parts of the South Island could be next if substantial rain doesn’t arrive soon.

Parts of the nelson region, West Coast, Canterbury, Otago and Southland are all very dry with numerous fire bans and water restrictions in place plus the fire risk is extreme in many areas.

The six main centres across the country have now seen a total of just thirteen millimetres of rain inside the last month which WeatherWatch believes is also a record for a four week period at any stage of the year for the bigger cities.
“When you hear that sort of stat it just proves what we all know and how incredibly dry it’s been and even a couple of months before that the main centre figure isn’t a lot higher” says Weather Analyst Richard Green.

RainWatch will be updated this afternoon to see what rain is likely to take place at the end of the weekend and also the beginning of next week.
 

WeatherWatch.co.nz