User Profile

Roger
Handford

Spring equinox brings high tides: Warmer and sunnier than normal so far this month

Warmer and sunnier than normal so far this month Climate Update by Roger Handford Despite the spring tug o’ war between the warmth of the north and the chill of the south, September in the Gisborne region is about a degree warmer than usual. The...

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Roger Handford

23 Sep 2024

News

Sign in the sky heralds new Māori monarch

The heavens heralded the choosing of a new Māori monarch on Thursday evening with a close alignment of the New Moon and Venus. On the day Te Puhi Ariki Ngā Wai hono i te pō Paki took the title of Māori Queen, Venus (Kopu) greeted the New Moon...

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Roger Handford

06 Sep 2024

News

Region shaking off winter blues - near-record warmth on Sunday

While the rest of the North Island was buffeted by wind and rain, the start of spring saw near-record warmth for the Tairāwhiti region. As August ended and Sunday marked the first day of calendar spring, warm northwesterly winds delivered an...

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Roger Handford

02 Sep 2024

News

Spring approaches with mixed bag of weather for the region

Gisborne and Napier basked in record heat, East Cape had another soaking and strong winds blasted the district in a “four-seasons-in-one-day” weekend. On Sunday Gisborne missed breaking the all-time heat record for August by a whisker. The...

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Roger Handford

19 Aug 2024

News

Weather watch issued for region — strong wind; heavy rain

The Gisborne region is in for another dose of bad weather this weekend — both rain and wind. MetService has issued weather watch notices for heavy rain and strong wind, followed by another band of rain. The rain watch is for the top of the...

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Roger Handford

16 Aug 2024

News

Chilly morning coldest so far in 2024

A crop of chill, crunchy mornings made today the coldest dawn for Gisborne so far this year. With a clear sky overnight, the air temperature dropped to 0.2 of a degree while the grass minimum was a frosty -5.1. Five frosty mornings in a row have...

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Roger Handford

07 Aug 2024

News

It’s been wetter but warmer for past two months

Weather data shows the Gisborne district is having a wetter year than usual, but a normal amount of sunshine. Despite the rain, temperatures have been above average for the past two months. To the end of July, the year’s rainfall total was 737.6mm...

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Roger Handford

05 Aug 2024

News

Petrol price slashed at Gull station on Wednesday

Gisborne appears to have enjoyed the cheapest petrol in the country on Wednesday. An unannounced price reduction saw 98 at the Gull self-service station at just $1.99 per litre - only a few cents dearer than diesel. Price-checker Gaspy had 98 octane...

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Roger Handford

01 Aug 2024

News

Surface flooding, rivers rise after burst of heavy rain

A short but heavy burst of rain this morning once again revealed the district’s vulnerability to weather events. Two bands of rain from a low east of the Bay of Plenty delivered intense but short-lived falls to the region — first to Gisborne in...

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Swarm of quakes off East Cape felt around NZ, but by only one Gisborne person

A swarm of earthquakes struck off East Cape over the weekend and was felt by hundreds around the country - but only one person in Gisborne reported noticing anything. This was despite the largest quake being a 4.6 magnitude tremor at a depth of only...

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East Cape in firing line as heavy-rain front closes in

The East Cape is in for another soaking from a front dragging heavy rain in from the subtropics, and MetService says warnings are likely. The incoming weather is virtually identical to the deluge that hit the East Cape area overnight Sunday to...

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Roger Handford

12 Jun 2024

News

Solar extravaganza: Auroras put on fantastic light show for East Coasters

The district’s power supply came under threat from the power of the sun over the weekend, while spectacular auroras lit up night skies from one end of New Zealand to the other. Auroras were seen as far north as Auckland and Northland, while here...

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Roger Handford

13 May 2024

News

El Nino fading but dry spell holding fast

The El Nino/La Nina guessing game is in full swing, while Gisborne-East Coast residents just want to know whether normal conditions will return. Weather agencies both official and private, as well as various news media, have differing views on...

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Roger Handford

11 May 2024