New Year's Eve

The last few days of 2014 are set to see high pressure move away from the country, allowing some wetter and windier weather to push back across New Zealand from the Tasman Sea and making it a soggy start to 2015 for some.

Temperatures over the last few weeks have recovered to more seasonal levels,with many places recording temperatures in the high twenties. On Christmas Day the temperature peaked at 29C in Blenheim and 27C in Masterton. Warm temperatures are forecast to stick with us through into the start of the New Year, but the warm air could also prove the trigger for some thundery activity over the top of the South Island and central parts of the North Island on Monday.

"Monday will be a good day to keep a close eye on the rain radar," said MetService meteorologist John Law, "especially if you are venturing out into the ranges, as we are likely to see some showers springing up through the afternoon and some of these could bring a rumble of thunder."

Looking ahead to December 31st, bands of rain are forecast to move from the Tasman Sea across the country. "It looks like we will all get a chance to see some wet weather to end the year," Law said. "The timings of these features are going to be critical in determining which parts of the country stay dry when the clock strikes midnight."

At the moment, the forecast looks good for the Capital and the upper South Island, with the wet weather clearing before midnight. However, there will be some blustery northerlies through the day itself. For revellers in the north of the country, it's worth keeping a raincoat handy with a front expected to bring cloud and rain in Auckland for the countdown. Meanwhile in Christchurch, a showery southwest change should arrive after midnight.

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

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