I agree with Peter of Dunedin comment regarding metservice forecasts, Especially long range Town & Rural. For days now metservice have said in these Rain light winds for day after day. Well so far there hasnt been any recorded rain! Go figure. These are far to general to be of any use given Southland is a large area. Looks like Southland will be in for a continueing dry summer if LaNina kicks in.

We are already in the grip of another drought and I expect this to continue for the remainder of this La Nina period. I have e-mailed NZ Met Service about their longrange forecast for Dunedin at the end of the week. They have been forecasting a period of some days with cold sw winds. I have and will continue to argue that in situations when deep low trundle eastwards in the great Southern Ocean, we here in Dunedin do not get “continuous/periods of rain” we usually get vicious sw gales with smattering of showers. The air in the main is dry and dessicating and rapidly sucks up any vestige of moisure left in the soil. It also leaves plant life further depleted of life-giving moisture. The usual line of frequent shower/rain activity is South Otago – east to west through Balclutha. North of this line precipitation rapidly drops away.
What I am and have been attempting to do is to get the NZ Met. Service to cease issuing banal forecasts for us and to make a genuine effort to give us more credible forecasts. It also annoys me intensely when I hear our present weather being described in a manner that suggests they live in a fabled land! i.e. being told that our showers will eventually clear as illustrated two weeks ago in our last vicious sw storm – we barely had a drop of rain as we were turned into a parched and thirsty land once more!