Fans of fans out of luck in humid weather

Fans of fans out of luck in humid weather

If you live in the North Island, there is a fair chance you've been trying to beat the humidity in some way over the past few weeks.

Because of this, retailers have been struggling with an unusually high demand for fans. They're selling out, and some stores are so stretched they won't be getting any more in for the foreseeable future.

Out of 15 stores in Auckland and Waikato contacted by 3 News, only a handful said they had any in stock. One Briscoes in Manukau claimed to have even used their allocated amount for the year, and said the internet was the only place to get them.

The fans that were available ranged from a $15 for a 15cm fan at The Warehouse, to the more luxurious Dyson fans, stocked by JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman, which range from $518 to $664.

The general consensus among stores seemed to be customers should get in quick, as even the most expensive fans were down to the display models.

According to the Lisa Murray, a MetService meteorologist, while this year hasn't broken records in terms of humidity levels, the past few weeks have been intensely hot -- both day and night.

She says this is down to the lingering former Cyclone Victor, sitting just off the coast.

"What has happened in the last week is we've had Victor move down from the tropics to just east of the country, offshore Gisborne.  As it moved down it brought this really tropical moist air and wrapped it around the North Island engulfing it in this humid air."

Ms Murray also adds this is why the North Island has seen a swathe of thunderstorms strike as well.

While there is a reprieve scheduled for this weekend, Ms Murray says the humidity is sitting just under the 79.3 percent average for this time of year. She says the thing getting to people most this year is how consistently humid it has been.

3 News