It is too soon to be fretting about a repeat of 1998 but cricket fans can also not be certain bad weather will not affect the test between New Zealand and the West Indies in Dunedin.
Ten years after a test against India was abandoned without a ball being bowled at Carisbrook, nervous fans are looking to grey skies and worrying about the likelihood of the University Oval test starting on Thursday.
Rain yesterday - and more forecast for today - looks set to be followed by days of changeable conditions.
Raineffects hydrologist Dave Stewart has been monitoring the situation and changing his forecast every day.
"It's a moving feast at the moment.
"At one stage it looked like it would be quite wet, and then another stage it wasn't looking so wet," Stewart said yesterday.
"It's actually looking a little bit better now."
Stewart said a weather system was expected to push a small front up the east coast of the South Island on Thursday.
"As long as it doesn't go easterly, it might clear for Thursday.
"It may still get wet. But at the moment I suspect we'll have a cool southerly breeze with clearing weather."
It looked like Friday would bring a brisk northeasterly wind and overcast conditions, Stewart said.
The Metservice is less optimistic.
It predicts rain for both Thursday and Friday.
