[Dave & Sandra]

Just thought I would let you know that we have had 2 weeks of totally melting weather. Went to a garden centre in Marton a few days ago and their thermometer was registering 34 degrees at 3pm - it had been 40 at noon. It hasn't rained for at least 2 weeks and the garden could do with it.

There is another advantage of having heat pumps installed. They are basically air conditioners and we have used them as air conditioners for the last week. It would have been unbearable otherwise.

In February last year Feilding was subjected to really bad floods - I wonder what will happen this year

http://tcwozere.co.uk/smileys/thinkingof.gif

[Moorf]

It HAS been hot hasn't it... it's luvverly... with air con it would be nicer! :laugh

Felt like a big kid today, was on beach at Birdling Flats (funnily enough it was huge and deserted ;) ) and I stripped to my pants and paddled.. been a while since I did THAT!

:nice1

Hit 30 today in Sumner - the poor poor Coast to Coasters ...

[Dave & Sandra]

What's the water like Moorf- is it warm :hopeso

[Moorf]

I'd like to say yes.. but it wasn't.. it was, eerrrrrr, refreshing!! Mind you, the beach at B/Flat is a steeply sloping pebble beach so no lapping water to warm up. It's also not a swimming beach with an amazing rip so not for those who aren't strong swimmers.

Amazing place, people go there to look for semi-precious stones and also fab round pebbles and stones (some quite large, the ones they charge a fortune for in garden centres!!) - people take wheelbarrows there to collect them!

[Timbo]

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Heatwave hits the south
05 February 2005

A heatwave is hitting parts of the South Island, with temperatures nudging record levels, water levels falling and dogs dropping dead from heat exhaustion.

Summer may have got off to a cold and wet start, but temperatures are now hovering around 35deg in Alexandra and above 30deg in Queenstown.

The temperatures are not unusual for this time of year, but the consistency and lack of wind is, experts say.

West Coasters, too, have been basking in summer, with temperatures close to record levels and a total fire ban in place after 17 days of hot, dry weather.

Yesterday, competitors in the Coast to Coast struggled to keep hydrated as temperatures soared.

In Nelson-Tasman, temperatures are about 5deg above the monthly average, with the region trapped in a heat pocket.

Maximum temperatures in the district this week have ranged between 26.5deg and 28.5deg, with the overnight low dropping only to 20.6deg on Tuesday.

The Mackenzie Country has baked in clear, hot weather, while other parts of South and Mid-Canterbury have been warm, muggy and overcast, with temperatures between 20deg and 25deg.

AdvertisementAdvertisementIn Christchurch, humidity levels had been unusually high, a MetService spokesman said.

Temperatures were usual for this time of year, reaching highs of between 25deg and 27deg for much of the week, but a moist north-east flow had made conditions sticky, he said.

Central Otago veterinarian Ngaire Mace said the heat was causing problems for animals whose owners were not thinking about the consequences of the weather.

Six dogs had died in Queenstown. One had been left shut inside a car with no water, two had been left outside, one was a working dog, and two had been playing when they died.

It was mainly a problem for older dogs, but the latest three had been young, healthy animals, she said.

One dog had died of heat exhaustion in Alexandra, where fruit pickers have been working earlier than usual to avoid the intense afternoon heat.

A Wakatipu St John spokeswoman said the organisation was surprised it had not had any calls so far for heat-related illnesses.

"We have thought about the potential of that happening and thought elderly people might be affected, but we are very pleased to advise that everybody must be hydrating quite well."

Alexandra-based MetService weather observer Owen Burgess said the highest official temperature recorded in the town was 35.8deg on Wednesday, but unofficial records have put it as high as 41deg.

Burgess, who is also the area's principal rural fire officer, said the lack of wind had been a blessing.

"In the last week we've had four vegetation fires," he said. "We've been able to control them quickly because of the lack of wind."

However, all issued fire permits were being revoked because of concerns a north-westerly was likely to hit the area.

"If we don't get any substantial rain, then we will be going to a prohibited-fire season," he said.

The situation was similar in Queenstown and Wanaka, Queenstown Lakes District principal rural fire officer Chris Gregory said.

Queenstown-based air-conditioning contractors reported the busiest time they could remember, particularly on Thursday, with one company fielding 40 inquires.

The Reefton basin has been breathless, with temperatures consistently around 32deg daily for the past week.

On Tuesday, the temperature hit 33.8deg – the hottest that Reefton weather recorder Tony Fortune has seen in his 41 years on the job.

"We're all wilting here but we don't mind as long as we can get near the water," he said.

In Greymouth, temperatures have hovered around 25deg, and with more hot weather forecast they may challenge the highest recorded maximum of 28.8deg.

No rain has fallen since January 18, and Greymouth weather recorder Phil Forrest said that without rainfall in the next couple of days tanks would start running dry.

The warm weather across the South Island was expected to continue for much of the coming week, a MetService spokesman said.