Dig out that jumper

MetService News Release
Friday, 23 May 2014

Dig out that jumper

Cold weather, expected to bring snow, is waiting patiently in the wings for New Zealand giving a distinctly wintry feel to the weather by the end ofSunday. "It's a weekend chock-full of weather" MetService Meteorologist John Law commented. "There are Severe Weather Warnings in place for heavy rain across parts of western New Zealand, and with strong winds and severe gales expected in the east of the country from Canterbury to Hawke's Bay, it's worth keeping up to date with the latest forecasts" Law recommended.

Heading through into the rest of the weekend, temperatures are set to take a tumble, and snow levels set to drop to low levels across parts of the South Island. "Sunday is going to feel pretty cold across New Zealand with frigid temperatures combining with a brisk southerly wind to produce an extremely low wind chill effect. It's worth digging out those winter woollies for Sunday" Law advised. Temperature forecasts put Dunedin at a maximum of only 10C for Sunday while parts of Southland are forecast to struggle out of single figures and night time minimum temperatures are forecast to dip below freezing widely across the South Island.

The southwesterly flow is set to continue feeding showers into parts of the South Island, especially about the south and west. Combined with the cold air, these showers are likely to fall as snow across inland parts of Southland, Otago and Westland. Some snow showers are also possible about the higher ground of Banks Peninsula as well. "The wind direction is critical in situations like this, with most of the showers avoiding the likes of Canterbury, but there will still be some that run into the far south over the weekend. With snow likely about the higher passes of the Southern Alps checking the latest information before making the journey is prudent" Law advised.

Snow is also likely about the higher ground of the Central Plateau earlyMonday. Widespread frosts and cold temperatures are expected for many heading into the start of the week, even for the Far North.

A broad area of higher pressure is set to build across the country to start next week but with plenty of cold air lingering it looks like a frosty end to May.

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, @metservice on Twitter and at blog.metservice.com

If you want to know about potential delays before you hit the state highways visit the NZ Transport Agency's onthemove.govt.nz website and sign up for free, customisable email alerts designed to inform you before you start your journey about notable road and driving conditions, incidents and road works taking place on New Zealand's state highways. Motorists can also visitwww.highwayinfo.govt.nz for up to date information from the NZTA, or call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS for either the latest highway conditions or to report incidents or hazards on the state highways.

© Scoop Media