Daylight savings prompts warning of summer weather surprises

Aucklanders are being urged to prepare for an unpredictable pattern of summer weather and frequent dry spells as daylight saving begins across the country on Sunday.

Auckland Council's emergency management general manager Adam Maggs said summer in Auckland this year was likely to bring windy, dry and unpredictable weather, due to the El Niño weather pattern.

He updated the Emergency Management Committee on Thursday on the council's "Get Ready" campaign which encourages Aucklanders to use the start of daylight saving to plan ahead and think about what they might need to do.

"We've got El Niño, which means heat," Maggs said. "We've also got the potential risk in the west for storms, we're going to get a persistent south-westerly breeze. That's going to cause drying on the east, but on the west we may see severe weather."

Maggs said the campaign, which launches on Sunday, promotes heat and storm readiness.

It encourages households, farmers and rural communities to use the change of season as a prompt to check homes, water supplies, properties and emergency plans before summer arrives.

"[We] plan for those situations so that our communities can be prepared to manage themselves, and not particularly one of those things, it could be either."

It's not the first time council has used daylight savings to launch their Get Ready campaign, but it is the first time they've included heat advisories.

"This particular year is looking like a very strong El Niño.

"Because of El Niño being here now, being a very strong one, we want our communities to be prepared the best they can, to be ready for the effects of heat, effects of potential wildfire et cetera."

According to Earth Sciences New Zealand, the event is likely to be one of the strongest in recent history, with peak conditions expected in late spring or early summer.

For Auckland, that could mean stronger winds, more frequent dry spells and increased drying of soils and vegetation especially in the east. This combination can increase the risk of water shortages, drought and wildfires as summer progresses.

Council said El Niño doesn't mean every day will be hot and dry.

"Summer can still bring heavy rain, thunderstorms, flooding, strong winds, ex-tropical cyclones and other severe weather.

"So, there's no need to wait for summer to arrive before getting organised; prepare for the sunshine but don't put away your gumboots."

Maggs said the lesson of the 2019–20 drought is worth remembering.

"If you rely on tank water, don't wait until your tank is waving a white flag. Check your levels now, fix those leaks and book-in a top-up before you're running on empty."

"The best time to prepare is when you still have water in the tank and the weather is behaving itself, not when the hot, dry spell arrives, your tank is low, and everyone suddenly has the same idea to top-up."