14 November 2014

A windy start to the weekend

There's a good-looking Canterbury anniversary day ahead of us, but with a cold front heading northwards across the country today there will be some unsettled weather to watch out for. The MetService forecasting team have issued severe weather warnings for a brief burst of heavy rain for the West Coast of the South Island, while in the east winds are forecast to rise to gale or severe gale on Friday and early Saturday.

Like thousands of others, MetService is attending the Canterbury show. The weather for the final day looks good with just some higher cloud feeding across from the west, but keep a close eye on the forecast as winds are set to strengthen this afternoon. "By this evening we are back into a classic northwesterly pattern across the South Island," MetService meteorologist John Law explained. "This translates into some heavy rainfall running up against the West Coast of the South Island, while winds on the other side of the Alps are forecast to reach gale or severe gale in exposed places this evening and early Saturday morning". The strongest winds are expected overnight in inland parts of Canterbury, with gusts of 140kph possible. Strong wind warnings are also in place for the east of the country from Southland to Hawke's Bay, and people are advised to check the latest severe weather information at www.metservice.com/warnings/severe-weather-warnings

During Saturday a band of rain will continue to move northwards across the North Island. Ahead of it, northwesterly winds are set to make it a blustery start to the weekend for many. For the South Island, Saturday sees the winds swing back round to the south keeping a few showers around southern and western parts, some heavy and thundery. The winds will also make it feel cooler, with the return of some colder air to the south of the country.

For the Kiwis taking on the Kangaroos in the Four Nations Final on Saturdayevening at Westpac Stadium, early rain and strong winds should clearSaturday morning. Although the odd afternoon shower is still possible at the cake tin, by kick-off it looks like being a fine evening, with southerly winds and temperatures around 13C.

On Sunday the weather looks settled at first, but a developing system over the Tasman Sea is forecast to head towards the North Island for Monday, bringing the return of some wetter and windier weather for next week.

Keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings atmetservice.com or on mobile devices at m.metservice.com. You can also follow our updates on MetService TV, at MetService New Zealand on Facebook, @metservice on Twitter and at blog.metservice.com.

ENDS

© Scoop Media