Our latest poll results are in – this week we asked what’s the main weather theme you want to see in February and without a doubt “Less Wind” was the winner with nearly half of the votes (a total of 42%).  Second place, with almost a quarter of the vote was “Hotter” at 23%.

“It’s not a surprise to us, the windy weather in January has been frustrating for boaties, campers, farmers and gardeners” says head weather forecaster Philip Duncan. “With the bulk of the windy weather coming off the Tasman Sea or Southern Ocean the cooler air has affected southern and western parts of both islands, meaning big cities like Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin have been exposed to cooler than average weather, so again no surprise that many want a hotter summer”. 

Mr Duncan says it’s the east of the country, especially the North Island, that has been hottest this summer.

But it’s the third place position that some may find surprising – especially after all the big news headlines in January about wet, windy and stormy weather. Third place went to “Wetter” with 16% hoping February would bring more rain.

WeatherWatch.co.nz has been in talks with the Ministry for Primary Industries for a couple of weeks now as regions like Northland, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay are all drier than average with many 30 degree, dry and sometimes windy days ahead. We expect the ‘big dry’ to increase in these areas in the coming weeks – and we’re already closely monitoring all the best data for when the next reliable wet day will be for these driest North Island regions.

Next poll out on Sunday!