Some Hawke's Bay orchardists face an anxious week assessing the full impact of scattered hail strikes, which hit properties around Hastings on Friday - in some cases the second hit in three weeks.
What is already being rated as a difficult season could also be worsened for some by late winds causing further damage to crops, while there was also some trepidation last night about forecasts for more hail today, amid showers, southwesterlies and a 5-6 degree drop today in the maximum temperature down to 15C.
WeatherWatch forecaster Philip Duncan said gusty westerlies yesterday were caused by a pressure gradient over much of the country. But there would be some respite from strong winds over the next few days.
Meanwhile, insurers are understood to be already assessing 600-700ha hit by hail on November 13, although with many not carrying insurance the actual amount of crop struck is thought to be greater.
Most of the strikes on Friday were brief, but they were scattered across the Hastings area, said Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers president Lesley Wilson, a Dartmoor orchardist.
"It will take a while longer to assess," she said, but there would be damage. "It's just going to require more management."
Source - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/
