What a week it’s been in the weather world! It started off with a sinkhole and got crazier from there…

Parts of northern California, (which has sizzled in some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the state), are being ravaged by huge wildfires, threatening parts of Yosemite National Park. More than four thousand firefighters are battling the blaze, but hot and windy conditions are making the task almost impossible.

Meanwhile south of the border, in Mexico, another natural phenomenon has killed dozens of people in the state of Veracruz, on the country’s east coast. Mudlsides, caused by tropical storm Fernand, claimed the lives of at least 13 people this week, with several more still missing as the clean up begins.

Closer to home, beachgoers in the small South Island town of Waimate were surprised and saddened to find a Humback whale washed ashore – a rarity on that part of the coast. Residents and marine biologists say they can’t remember the last time a Humpback was beached in South Canterbury, while the whale’s remnants will be used by the local iwi for carvings and jewelry.

Climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger says New Zealand has experienced one of its warmest Winters since records began – averaging a positively balmy 9.5 degrees through the Winter months. Dr Salinger says cold spells from the Pacific ocean, which lower the average, have been few and far between this Winter, following a pattern seen since the 1950s.

And our poll results are out, showing the vast majority of respondents feel the same way about Spring – that it’s well and truly here already!

Let us know what you think in the comments below, and watch this space for another poll on Sunday morning!

– Drew Chappell, WeatherWatch.co.nz