Many New Zealand farmers fear they are heading for a second dry year in a row. Most of their country saw sub-average rainfall over the past three months, causing soil moisture levels to go down, said the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
In Wairarapa, Masterton residents are not allowed to use hand held hoses, because the water supply from the Waingawa River is running low. The river's flow rate has fallen below 1300 litres per second, well below the council's conservation threshold of 1900 litres.
Radionz.co.nz quoted NIWA principal forecaster Chris Brandolino as saying it had been abnormally dry for the past three months, with some areas getting just 50 percent of last year's rainfall: "Pretty much the entire North Island is at some degree of dryness in terms of soil moisture. From just north of Christchurch to the top of the South Island, soil levels are running low for this time of year."