The eastern South Island needs rain, and at the time of writing this column there were some chances of wet weather for Canterbury and surrounds as we go through next week. We’ve had a number of people tell us spring feels like it’s arriving early – despite a snowy cold blast potentially moving in right after I write this.
Usually spring in New Zealand is defined by an uptick in westerly winds, and more days where people say “I feel like spring is here!” – usually those sunnier, milder, days where you notice the odd flower in bloom or new buds forming, or pasture taking off again.
Spring is about life returning. Winter is death, decay and being dormant. This is why I firmly believe NZ barely has a winter. For those who have travelled abroad you may well agree, because in the depths of winter in Canada, or Norway, or Scotland you’re not talking about flowers out, or pine pollen, and you’re not wearing shorts and a singlet for work.
NZ barely has a winter. It’s much more like an elongated autumn and spring combined. In fact, early spring is often full of some of the snowiest weather in northern hemisphere nations. That peak of cold air arriving with longer sunshine hours is part of the reason spring can be such a volatile season.
So why am I talking so much about spring when we’re in the depths of winter? Because if you need rain, spring can be a tricky season, and August for northern NZ heralds an early spring weather pattern – more changeable weather mixed in with some really mild days.
Spring can throw us weather more extreme than winter sometimes, just like it can in the northern hemisphere. But it does it with longer sunshine hours and a much higher chance of a warm bounce back a few days later.
For lower South Island readers you may not be in agreement – although a farmer from south Westland wrote to me last week to say daffodils are out everywhere. Another farmer, in Hawke’s Bay, told me the big spring daffodils are out now, not the small winter ones. And I have orchids in Auckland that normally flower in October looking ready to flower in August.
Around NZ we have a mixture of people saying an early spring is arriving, while others say this is the coldest winter they’ve had in 20 years.
August can be a strange time in NZ. We’re technically in the peak of winter, yet some see hints of spring. But it’s not surprising that the last week of July and the start of August may well kick off with peak winter weather. We’re not out of the woods from snow risks until October.
Despite the cold blast coming, however, I’m optimistic some of you are getting a spring in your step now. Here’s hoping the chaos of it all brings rain to those who need it before spring warmth and wind dry soil moisture out further.
