Warm and windy nor'westers this weekend

30 November 2012

Warm and windy nor'westers this weekend

The brief cold snap of the last few days will be followed by warm and windy northwesterlies this weekend,severe in some eastern provinces.

MetService meteorologist Daniel Corbett commented, "The recent weather certainly has been like a rollercoaster ride, but people will want to keep an eye on the strong winds this weekend to make sure they are not caught off guard."

An active front will bring a band of rain across New Zealand during Saturday and Sunday, and most of the heavy rain over the South Island will pile up on the west coast. MetService has already issued watches and warnings for the rain.

Ahead of the front, the isobars will bunch up considerably to bring strong to severe gales in many eastern and inland places as the front sweeps north. The strong to severe gales will move across Otago and Canterbury during Saturday and across Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay from Saturday night into Sunday.

During early Sunday morning there is the potential for some damaging wind gusts up to 120km/h, possibly reaching 140km/h, between Featherston and Hastings.

The strongest winds and heavy rain will slowly ease back by the end of the weekend.

Keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings at www.metservice.com or on mobile devices at m.metservice.com. You can also follow our updates @metservice on Twitter or watch the latest severe weather video on MetService TV.

ENDS

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