Weather Analyst Richard Green replies to his weather inbox

DAYLIGHT SAVING

I recently came back from overseas and was delighted to experience our daylight saving in full swing now.

I know some farmers don’t like the idea of changing our clocks and a few parents grumble at the lighter nights, as trying to get their kids to sleep can be a bit tricky but I want to go on record to say that I love it and is there any chance of moving clocks forward 2 hours in the future?

Jane F- Fielding

Good to see that you are keen Jane and I think many Kiwis seem to enjoy the longer nights when the weather is behaving.

We are now almost in daylight saving time for 6 months of the year whereas some countries are between 7 and 8 months but are still subject to very cold spells and it can be made more miserable when there are longer daylight hours to endure the inclement weather.

Moving the clock forward another hour could be a bit of a stiff ask.The sun wouldn’t set in Invercargill until nearly 11pm if we did but the following morning, it would be more like 7am when it came up again.

I’m interested in others thoughts on this one though.

TALK OF DROUGHT

I am a little bit confused about all this talk of a drought this summer when we had such a soggy winter.Surely we have enough water to get us through the dry times too!

Ian Clelland

It has been a quick turnaround of seasons Ian and it feels like we have barely moved into the summer months . Not all areas of the country got a soaking last winter and warm and dry winds in the east of the country lately has seen a lot of moisture sucked up into the air and some paddocks and pastures are looking a little parched already.

It is early to make a call on a possible drought but some computer models suggest that it could be a long and dry spell for some…let’s hope that’s not the case

SUMMER WARMTH

Hi, it’s Lois from Invercargill and we’ve had a spring that has been windy and wet and cool.I am wanting to take a break over the Xmas period to a warmer climate somewhere in the country and see a few rays of sunshine.Where would you suggest?

Lois-Invercargill

Ooohhh that’s a big call Lois but I do agree with you that Southland has seen some chilly days recently.Just up the road from you in Central Otago can be very warm indeed over the holiday time and many inland areas throughout the country enjoy the warmth  and often there is little wind too.

Like most things, there are very few guarantees and if it helps, Invercargill should see a more settled spell soon!

Richard Green-Weather Analyst