The entire eastern coastline of the North Island is showing signs of being much drier than usual thanks to an exceptionally dry, hot, summer in many of these places – made worse by the wind.

While the westerlies have kept west coast centres cooler and cloudier the mountains and ranges have created hotter, drier weather for eastern areas.

WeatherWatch.co.nz is especially concerned with the ongoing dry pattern in the Gisborne region, Hawke’s Bay (especially northern) and parts of Northland and Coromandel Peninsula.

These photos below were sent to us last night by Inger Schierning from NZME Gisborne.

Meanwhile where is all the raining falling? On the South Island’s West Coast. This morning WeatherWatch.co.nz received an email from farmer Wayne Williams of Fox Glacier with two stunning totals:

“Just writing in to let you know that unofficially our rain gauge has recorded 739mm of rain for January with 170mms last night. It is as wet as it was in 1998″ wrote Mr Williams. “…right now it would be a good place to grow rice”.

The West Coast does have isolated sunnier, hotter, days coming up – but sadly it will be mixed in with more than 50% wet weather over the next 10 days.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz