The latest Hotspot Watch is attached. A huge Hotspot now covers Northland, Waikato, Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula.
There is now nowhere in the North Island where soil moisture levels are normal or above normal.
An animation showing just how fast drought has developed since the beginning of the year in these regions is available
for your use here: www.niwa.co.nz/static/media/drought
Hotspots are growing in the South as well, including Hurunui, parts of Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman.
ends