the state of our environment | July 2014
Winter has finally hit - sadly. A balmy and deceptively wet June made way for a chilly and surprisingly dry July. Apart
from northern Hawke’s Bay, most of the region received just half the usual July rainfall. It hasn’t worried our
groundwater and soil moisture levels too much – they’re still looking okay – but rivers are running lower than normal
for the time of year. We were plagued by south to southwest winds for half the month which explains why northern Hawke’s
Bay copped the showers and the rest of the region got bypassed. It also means our temperatures were often sourced from
the Antarctic or thereabouts, so our daytime temperatures were colder than the norm. It was breezier than usual too,
including in the wee small hours so we ended up with fewer frosts – less than half the July average at our Bridge Pa
site. The cold windy weather was welcome for one reason – and one reason only - it did wonders for our air quality. For
the first time since we started monitoring PM10 in Napier and Hastings we got through a July with no PM10 exceedances. I
was so excited I had to check the figures half a dozen times. I’ll be beside myself if we get through August as well!