14 April 2014

A wet run to Easter

This week will again be dominated by areas of low pressure,resulting in rain for many places in the lead up to Easter.

MetService Media and Communications Meteorologist Daniel Corbett commented, "Overall this will be a wet week dominated by two main weather systems, the second of which will be loaded with tropical moisture."

The first system, currently over the Tasman Sea, will slowly spread areas of rain across the country with the brunt of the heavy rain falling on the west coast of the South Island. Some eastern locations may only see a few showers, with the rain band reluctant to spread right across the country.

For those hoping to catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse on Tuesdayevening,cloud will make viewing difficult - except perhaps for those living in eastern parts of the North Island.

Later in the week, a low of tropical origin loaded with moisture should draw close to New Zealand. This weather system carries a significant risk of heavy rain and strong to severe gales in many parts of the country, especially northern and western areas, from late Wednesday through to Friday.

Temperatures this week will also be quite mild for the time of year in many places as a result of the north-easterly flow.

At this point, the bulk of the Easter weekend looks quieter than the active weather expected in the lead up to it, but a raincoat might still come in handy.

There will no doubt be some subtle changes in the weather over the next few days, so keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings at metservice.com or on mobile devices at m.metservice.com.You can also follow our updates on MetService TV, @metservice on Twitter and at blog.metservice.com.

ENDS

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