A cool blast then humid

MetService News Release

Wednesday, 15 Jan 2014

A cool blast then humid

It has been a cool start for 2014 across southern provinces, with temperatures struggling to reach the low twenties in many parts of Otago and Southland. The second half of this week sees another cool blast arriving from the south, sending temperatures tumbling down once again.

A high centred over the Tasman Sea together with lower pressure to the east of the country leaves New Zealand sandwiched in a cool southwest flow.An active front crossing the country on Thursday will herald the arrival of another burst of cold air. As well as cooler temperatures, the forecast maximum for Dunedin on Friday is only 13C and there could be a dusting of fresh snow about the tops of the South Island ranges.

MetService Meteorologist John Law commented, "We are going to find a real temperature contrast across the country on Friday; even those in the North Island will feel the effects of this southerly change by the end of the day. On the plus side, it is a short, sharp snap and we should return to more settled weather across much of New Zealand over the weekend."

Tropical Cyclone Ian has weakened over the open waters of the Pacific but the tropics are still very active. An area of potential development over the Coral Sea has been highlighted by meteorologists as an area to watch over the coming days. "Conditions over the Coral Sea look favourable for the formation of the next tropical system. It is still too early to say how much of an impact it will have on us in New Zealand, but the forecast team are keeping a very close eye on it," Law said.

Tropical cyclones forming in the Coral Sea west of 160W fall under the responsibility of Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, which provides official forecasts and warnings as required. MetService provides any warnings necessary for the waters east of this line.

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.

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