Who is in for a lashing of bad weather this week?
Another stint of windy and wet weather is due to wreak havoc across several regions, followed by snowfall for the South Island.
MetService says a broad area of rain is expected to form from west to east tomorrow, with the heaviest rain expected in Taranaki Maunga and Tasman District.
“The rain and strong winds are the result of a rapidly deepening area of low pressure forming off the eastern coast of Australia and crossing the country.”
MetService meteorologist John Law said, “This week we see another visitor arriving from the Tasman Sea and it’s set to bring some active weather with it. But it’s not just the wind and rain we have to watch out for, with cold air rushing in behind this system, it’s going to be a much colder end to the week.”
Thunderstorms are expected to accompany the rain on Wednesday in northern and western parts of the North Island, with localised downpours and strong winds expected, MetService reported.
Overnight Wednesday, the Canterbury High Country is forecast to have rain turn to snow, “especially across the higher parts of the region and impacting the higher roads and passes”.
Warnings and watches
A number of regions are under watches and warnings for the next few days of wild weather.
Heavy rain warnings have been issued for Bay of Plenty east of Whakatāne and inland Gisborne/Tairāwhiti, Northern Taihape and southern parts of Taupō and Taumarunui, The Tararua Range, Marlborough about and northwest of the Richmond Range, and Nelson east of Nelson City, Taranaki Maunga, and Tasman District west of Motueka.
Heavy rain watches have been issued for Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island, Horowhenua, Kāpiti Coast and Wellington, Buller, Grey and Westland Districts between Karamea and Harihari and Fiordland north of Breaksea Sound.
A heavy snow watch has been issued for the Canterbury High Country, with heavy snow possible above 300m (or possibly lower).
Several areas are also under strong wind watches and swell warnings.
Temperatures are set to tumble later in the week
Temperatures are set to tumble for the end of the week, with daytime highs unlikely to get beyond the teens.
“The coldest spots will be in Central Otago, where daytime temperatures for Wānaka and Alexandra are only likely to reach 3C or 4C this weekend.”
The colder air on Friday brings the potential of snow to lower areas of Canterbury.
“Cold air and wintry showers will feature in the forecast for parts of the South Island on Friday, but the heaviest snow is expected over the highest parts of Canterbury overnight on Wednesday.
“Snow is likely to near sea level on Friday for Canterbury, Otago, Southland and Fiordland.
“While this snow is likely to be significant and may cause disruptions to travel, at this stage warning amounts are not expected,” Law said.
Warmer, wetter than average conditions expected for winter this year
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) forecaster Chris Brandolino said rain-bearing low-pressure systems could be frequent across Aotearoa during the coming winter months.
“That usually brings with it higher chances of rain and warmer temperatures.”
The forecaster also predicted wetter than normal months ahead.
Niwa forecasts the long-term average temperature from June to August to be a balmy 12.5C in Kaitāia.
For the rest of the country, Auckland is forecast to see a long-term average of 11.6C, 9.5C in Hamilton and 8.5C in Masterton.
For the South Island, the average temperature in Nelson would be 8.3C, 7.4C in Christchurch and 7.3C in Dunedin.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
