Bad opening-day weather keeps oyster fleet tied up

The Southland Times | Monday, 03 March 2008

JOHN HAWKINS/ID 121051

Sad news: No oysters at Barnes Oysters in Invercargill at the weekend.

Though the oyster season officially started, rough weather meant the boats didn't venture out into Foveaux Strait, Barnes Oysters manager Graeme Wright said.

"It's an oyster season without any oysters so far," he said.

"The phones have been ringing all weekend, they have been asking if we have got any oysters to sell ....

but never mind, there's not much you can do about the weather." The weather forecast for today was marginal for getting out on the water, he said.

A Met Service forecaster said the south-east winds on Foveaux Strait were expected to ease to 15 knots this morning.

"The rough sea is easing but the southerly swell is rising to three metres," the forecaster said.

Mr Barnes said they normally sold at least 1000-dozen oysters on the first day of the season.

They would be selling for $19 a dozen in his Invercargill shop, he added.

 

Sign of things to come?

Ashburton Guardian 9 March 2008

 

A 15-centimetre snowfall on Mt Hutt overnight Sunday has shown just how difficult it is to predict whether the ski area is in for a good winter or not.
NIWA’s long-range forecast through to the end of April predicts below average rainfall and above average temperatures for the East Coast of the South Island, suggesting little snow will be falling throughout autumn.
But ski area manager Dave Wilson said NIWA’s forecast did not take into account how skifields such as Mt Hutt gained much of their snow from one-off storms. The recent unseasonal 15cm snowfall was an example.
“It’s hard to sometimes collate the individual weather storm to a long-term prediction,” Mr Wilson said.
He gave the example of the big snow of 2006 on June 12 which “changed the whole season” by setting the ski area up for winter with a huge snow base.
The recent snowfall would be a good reminder to skiers and snowboarders to buy their Early Bird ski season’s passes by midnight tonight, he said.

 

11 March 2008
New Zealand's weather forecaster MetService is buying half of small British forecasting firm Weather Commerce.

It is the first time the state-owned forecaster has bought a stake in a foreign firm. It plans to to buy the rest of the firm in three years time.

MetService chief executive Paul Reid says they already have a number of high profile customers in the UK, Europe, North America and the Middle East, and this is a logical next step.

The British company, with a staff of 13, specialises in forecasting for the retail, shipping and aviation sectors. Its customers include Marks and Spencers.

Retailers need forecaster to let them know when things like summer clothes should be in the shops, or when there is likely to be a demand for ice cream.

© 2008 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

 

Rodney lands cycle title

Rodney Times | Tuesday, 18 March 2008

CYCLE CHAMPS: Rodney is the winner in the national challenge.

Cycle-mad Rodney district is the winner of this year’s Mayoral Cycle Challenge, beating 39 other cities and districts.

Rodney picked up the title of New Zealand’s most cycle-mad city ahead of Hutt Valley and Wellington City.

A bit of rain did not stop 1500 Rodney residents including mayor Penny Webster, Rodney MP Lockwood Smith, local celebrities and sports stars joining residents and staff from the emergency services from getting on their bikes.

"Our success was due to the tireless support of the volunteers on the day and our numerous sponsors. The event surpassed our expectations," says Rodney District Council travel planner Belinda Matheson.

"This year’s focus was on children and family. Despite the weather, the cycle challenge gave Rodney families the opportunity to experience something new and exciting," she says.

Nevada Dennison, seven, of Red Beach summed it up. "We got our faces painted in the rain and the big race was real fun. I got a little tired, but I still kept on going," he says.

Ms Matheson extended a huge thank you to all the riders and the sponsors, including Fulton Hogan, New World Orewa and Downer EDI Works, who supported the event.

"Without community support, it would be impossible for the council to hold such a successful event," she says.

 

Taranaki Regional Council officially declares drought TV3  Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:58p.m.

The Taranaki Regional Council has sent out an SOS, after it became the third region to declare an official drought.

Coastal and southern Taranaki have been especially dry since November and with no relief in sight, farmers say they are struggling to pay their bills.

Farmers meeting in Hawera today say it is the worst dry spell in thirty years.

Support staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry say farmers are having to make tough decisions.

"A lot of them now must seriously consider drying off altogether to focus now on getting their farm in order for next season," Taranaki MAF representative Joe Clough said.

"It puts a bit of stress on the household," dairy farmer Lunn Rupapera told 3 News. "And financially we're six or seven weeks earlier drying off which affects the cashflow."

Dairy farmers say they are not only drying off they are selling off and at bargain prices.

Some have sold steers for around $400 less than they would usually expect and bulls are down around $250 on average.

The Regional Council says declaring an official drought means there is extra attention from the government and social support agencies.

"There is a range of additional assistance by way of rural assistance payments that will be available once cabinet has made that approval for this region," Gloria Campbell said.

Taranaki is not alone in its drought dilemma. Waikato and the Wairarapa have also been declared official drought zones and NIWA says areas of inland Bay of Plenty, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, Marlborough and Otago are also extremely dry.

Taranaki will have to wait for rain relief. There are light showers forecast for Friday and Saturday, but no significant downpour on the radar before May.

 

Young photographer has eye on the clouds

Rodney Times | Thursday, 20 March 2008

CLOUD STREETS: The weird cloud formations Lucy Pearson, 8, shot over Stanmore Bay last week.

Lucy Pearson, 8, of Whangaparaoa sent in this photo of cloud formations over Stanmore Bay.

Given a digital Canon s70 at the age of four, Lucy says she just loves taking photos.

She checked the strange shapes on the internet and says they are called ‘cloud streets’. Rapidly rising warm air forms the cumulus cloud in rows parallel to the wind direction. Thunderstorms were forecast a few days later but didn’t eventuate here.

Easter weather in Rodney generally looks good.

While the odd shower can be expected on or just after Good Friday, particularly in Rodney’s eastern areas, a forecast change from easterly winds to southerlies should bring good weather from about Saturday, MetService ambassador Bob McDavitt says.

The Press > Story

 

Drought costs farmers $1.2b

Tanya Katterns and Laura Basham - The Press | 20 March 2008

Laura Basham

SUNBURNT LAND: Marlborough farmer Wayne Boyce fears things ``have gone from a poor situation to a worse situation'' on the farm.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry estimates this summer's drought, which has been sapping the life out of the country's heartland, will take away $1.24b from the farm gate this financial year.

However, farmers say individual losses are massive and the Government estimates do not reflect the real financial pain.

Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton said the true cost of the drought to the country would not be known until the end of the financial year, and the impact would be long-lasting.

"Significant flow-on effects are likely next financial year, also, because of fewer lambs likely to be born, reduced wool production and animals in poorer conditions going into next spring," he said. "There can be no question that the impacts of this drought on farming families, rural communities and the rest of New Zealand are severe and will be felt for several years to come."

(Abridged)

 

Long summer breaks sunshine records across the country TV3 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:07p.m.

The summer does not seem to be ending in most regions of the country.
Climate scientists say March could now be considered a summer month with temperatures now similar to December.

Wellingtonians are feeling particularly smug about their summer after clocking up the longest sunshine hours of the main centres.

Seems there is no end of the golden weather in Wellington, where the city has enjoyed the best weather for a decade – it is late march and there is not much sign of autumn.

Temperatures were on average 2 degrees warmer than last year - but climate scientists are mainly putting it down to the la nina weather pattern bringing warmer weather.

Never the less NIWA says we should now consider March in New Zealand to be a summer month.

From December the first to yesterday, a hundred and fifteen days of the main centres Wellington recorded the most sunshine hours at 858 hours.

But overall Nelson enjoyed the longest sunshine hours this summer at 940 hours; the least was Dargaville with 659 hours of sunshine - Invercargill and Dunedin recorded their longest sunshine hours ever. 

Extended day light saving has helped stretch out the summer clocks go back on the 6th of April.
So what sort of winter can we expect? Jim Salinger from NIWA says the warm weather could continue through into May. 

 

 

One more sunny spell before chill

NZ Herald 5:00AM Wednesday March 26, 2008 By Craig Borley

Holidaymakers enjoy the summery conditions at Mt Maunganui. Photo / Alan Gibson

It's been a great summer for beach lovers, a painful one for farmers, but whatever you like to do on a sunny Saturday, the fine weather is almost over.

Just one more anti-cyclone, bringing warm dry weather, was expected over Auckland early next month before the winter chill hit, MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt told the Herald yesterday.

March had been warm enough to be classed as another month of summer, with a raft of anti-cyclones keeping the weather finer than usual, he said. Waikato and Taranaki had experienced especially dry weather.

Timaru sweated under its hottest March day on record, with 34C recorded on March 19. Auckland has baked under March highs of 27C this year with a low of 13C so far.

Just 33mm of rain has fallen on the city this month to date - the monthly average is about 100mm.

But rain is forecast for this weekend, probably Sunday and, following next month's anti-cyclone, it will be time for the brollies and beanies, Mr McDavitt says.

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger said the country's Indian summer had come from the ongoing La Nina pattern - the first full-scale La Nina since 1998.

Water temperatures around the north of the North Island had stayed above 20C. March weather had been warm before, but this one was well above average, he said.

The La Nina pattern, bringing warm, dry weather and easterly winds to the east of the country, was expected to continue until May, but whether it stayed throughout winter was still unknown, he said.

Meanwhile, many farmers had been suffering, said Federated Farmers dairy section chairman Frank Brenmuhl.

"This will be life-changing for some farmers, particularly for those in areas that haven't really ever had droughts."

In previous years Waikato farmers had jokingly called dry stretches of seven days "droughts".

"But this time they really are suffering and some farmers are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars."

So far the cost of the drought had been estimated at $1.2 billion.

Ken Ring, who uses lunar cycles to predict weather, said yesterday that the first week of April would bring an icy blast across the country.

Snow would fall on Mt Ruapehu and would sprinkle other elevated areas, he said.

"Winter's going to come very quickly this year."

10-YEAR HIGH
* The weather over Easter really was the best for years.
* Easter 2008: March 21-24: Sunny, hot, mostly dry.
* Easter 2007: April 6-9: Wet, mild, clearing as the weekend progressed.
* Easter 2006: April 14-17: Fine start, wet end.
* Easter 2005: March 25-28: Tornadoes, torrential rain, frost.
* Easter 2004: April 9-12: Cold, hail, snow in places.
* Easter 2003: April 18-21: Stormy, wet, windy.
* Easter 2002: March 29-April 1: Stormy, wet, windy.
* Easter 2001: April 13-16: Wind, rain.
* Easter 2000: April 21-24: Thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail.
* Easter 1999: April 2-5: Mild, settled weather.

 

 

 

Climate change shatters huge ice shelf

By REBECCA PALMER and PAUL EASTON - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 27 March 2008

Reuters

OFF THE SHELF: A 415sq/km chunk of the Wilkins Ice Shelf has collapsed into the Ancarctic ocean.

An iceberg 41 kilometres long and 2.5km wide fell off the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula in late February.

That triggered the disintegration of 405 square kilometres of ice.

The entire ice shelf - the size of the Hawke's Bay region - is now in danger of disintegrating.

The destruction was captured in satellite pictures from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in the United States.

Scientists said a thin strand of ice about 6km wide was all that was stopping the remaining 13,680sq km shelf from collapsing.

Professor Tim Naish, of Victoria University's Antarctic Research Centre, said the breakup was part of a pattern seen for about 50 years. Ice breaks were fully expected. "They're likely to be a more frequent event."

The Antarctic Peninsula had warmed by about 2½ degrees in the past 50 years - more than other parts of the world. Remnants of the shelf could end up near New Zealand, he said.

In 2006, large icebergs drifted up the South Island's east coast.

Professor Naish said the breakdown of the Wilkins shelf would not contribute to rising sea levels. He compared it to an ice-cube in a glass of water - when the cube melts, the water level does not go up, as it has already been displaced.

But the disappearance of ice shelves could cause connected glaciers to melt and flow into the ocean more quickly, which would raise sea levels.

Niwa principal scientist David Wratt said the ice shelf collapse was likely to be a result of climate change. "It's certainly a sign that things are happening."

The peninsula's Larsen Ice Shelf had collapsed in 2002, with 500 billion tonnes of ice breaking up into bergs in less than a month. (Abridged)

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