Wet forecast makes water restrictions unlikely
A forecast from NIWA through to Boxing Day indicates there is almost no chance of water restrictions in the Far North over the holiday break. Find out more here.
This year has been punctuated by heavy rain warnings, severe weather events and rain, rain and more rain. But there is a silver lining to all the grey clouds – there is almost no chance of water restrictions in the Far North over the Christmas break.
Weather experts at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA Taihoro Nukurangi), are predicting normal or above normal rainfall for the next two weeks through to Boxing Day.
The La Niña weather system is playing a significant role in this and is expected to deliver enough rain to make a drought here unlikely for at least the next 35 days. It’s a positive story for soil moisture levels in the Far North too, which were affected badly by the drought of 2019 and 2020. They are now sitting at 60 to 70mm higher than at the same time last year. NIWA will deliver a longer term forecast next week to the council but early indications are that a lack of water won’t be an issue as 2023 gets underway.
The situation looked very different during the 2019-2020 drought, when several Far North towns risked running out of water. The low soil moisture levels that resulted have continued to have an impact on towns like Kaitāia for the last few years. The completion of the Kaitāia Water Project this year, which can supply an additional 5,000 cubic metres of groundwater water a day, has since significantly boosted the drought resilience of the town.
Despite NIWA’s optimistic short-term forecast, the council is urging Far North residents and businesses to use water sensibly to ensure the supply of this precious resource remains at healthy levels. The council’s Water Shortage Management Committee will meet to discuss NIWA’s longer term forecast once it’s presented next week. The committee will closely monitor council water sources over the summer months in case water restrictions are required to ensure ongoing supplies are maintained.
Initial information provided by NIWA to the council includes the map below, which indicates forecast dryness levels for the next five weeks, and a graph comparing rainfall levels in the Far North over the last three years.
Information about installing a rainwater tank can be found on our webpage.
