Most Hawke's Bay soil moisture sites are drier than normal
A blocked weather pattern brings rain to Northland and Bay of Plenty before westerlies return.
|November 3, 2026Listen to the full interview:
This episode featured as part of the Weather segment in partnership with HawkEye Pro from Ravensdown.
Fourteen of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s 18 soil moisture sites are drier than normal.
Blue Skies Weather meteorologist Tony Trewinnard says 10 of those 14 are in their driest two or three years of the past two decades. “Quite large parts of Hawke’s Bay are drier than normal,” he says.
Most are likely to hold at or slightly above wilting point until early to mid-December.
A blocked weather pattern brings humid northerly air and rain later next week to Northland and Bay of Plenty after a dry October, before westerlies return.
Lighter, stonier soils towards Ashburton face even odds of drought-type risk by mid-January. The Methven area has no drought signal for the next three months.
He says dry seasons suit grapes, cutting fungal disease risk and hastening ripening.
Your weather update — brought to you by HawkEye Pro from Ravensdown. Next‑gen tech, backed by forty years of soil science, delivering insights every ten metres to lift farm efficiency and sustainability — and drive profitability. HawkEye Pro. The proof is in the paddock.
Watch the full interview:
CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.
