Some rain is on the way but WeatherWatch.co.nz weather analyst Philip Duncan is advising farmers take a cautious approach to predictions.

A deep low, with almost identical characteristics to a tropical cyclone, has been teasing Northland for three days now, only delivering a small amount of rain to isolated areas.

“We’re seeing an increase in rain bands lately and I believe the droughts will continue to be chipped away at, however it’s important to realise predicted rain is still not guaranteed to be widespread”.

Despite some forecasters predicting plenty of rain since Saturday only a few areas have seen rain above 40mm, mostly between the Bay of Islands and Kaitaia.

Showers affected Whangarei overnight.

The low is predicted to finally drop south down the west coast tomorrow bringing more rain to Northland and Auckland.

Another band of rain is expected across all dry areas this Friday and Saturday but again there’s still some uncertainty.  “We’ve had several dry months and that weather pattern hasn’t just suddenly vanished.  There’s still a lot of high air pressure around New Zealand which limits the movement and development of rain bands, mostly making rainy areas less widespread”.

“Wednesday and Saturday look to be the two wettest days for our driest regions – we should be cautiously optimistic this will give a significant helping hand to the easing of droughts”.