October began in rollicking fashion with an epic hailstorm and ended with an epic fail in sporting success (all HB and NZ teams I followed over Labour weekend lost – seven of them!).

The good folk at MPI inform us that the storm had significant effects on summerfruit while some vineyards growing early grape varieties didn’t escape scot free.

Halfway through the month the real rain came, bringing the month’s tally to more than double the October average for eastern areas. River flows and soil moisture have hit levels well above normal for the time of year.

Groundwater levels look woeful in comparison but they reflect data collected before mid-month so we expect the next report to paint a rosier picture… hopefully.

Temperatures in the month were lame and while they were in the normal range they limped into it.

Cheers,
Kathleen

For the full rundown find the State of the Environment Report here
What can you find in the full report? Info and stats for this month include:
• Rainfall
• Temperatures
• River Flows
• Groundwater & Soil Moisture
• The Longer Forecast and outlook

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