This year there is again an El Nino cycle, and there are concerns about a dry summer ahead.
However, Otago Regional Council natural hazards manager Michael Goldsmith told the Otago Daily Times yesterday it would be unwise to make predictions based on what happened during the El Nino cycle 16 years ago.
''We haven't looked at it specifically but certainly it does tend to go in patterns. We had three major events in the 1990s ... and we haven't had much at all since then.
''All I can say is we will be keeping a very close eye on lake levels.''
As they have done for several years, regional council and Queenstown Lakes District Council staff yesterday went on a spring ''walkabout'' in the CBD warning businesses of the potential for flooding and advising them to have a plan.
That included ensuring computer records were kept safe, insurance was up to date and opting for concrete floors rather than carpet.
''The focus, I guess, is learning to live with the effects of flooding,'' Mr Goldsmith said.
Lake Wanaka can rise faster than Lake Wakatipu because more large rivers and streams flow directly into it from the Southern Alps.
In the 1994 flood, the lake rose 2m in a single day.
The highest flood level was recorded in 1878 but on four occasions since 1984 the lower part of Ardmore St has been flooded. Mr Goldsmith said business owners in Wanaka appeared to be aware of the risk.
The group has now completed its tour of Queenstown and Wanaka businesses but plans to hold briefings in Kingston and Glenorchy next month and is arranging sessions with the region's chambers of commerce.
