A warmer week ahead

A warmer week ahead

Most places will see some sunshine over the next few days with the east of the country getting the best of the weather. Temperatures are also on an upward trend after last week's relatively cooler temperatures. However, a few spots of rain are expected for many areas in the coming days.

Temperatures will generally feel warmer this week, after experiencing some relatively cooler southerlies in the wake of Cyclone Pam last week. "The maximum temperature at Christchurch Airport yesterday reached just 14C,
with a high of around 15C expected today, which is pretty chilly for this time of year," said MetService meteorologist Emma Blades. "Tomorrow looks to be a warmer day, with temperatures returning to the mid to low 20s as the flow changes to the northwest".

After most places in Otago received rain over the weekend, which was good news for farmers, the sun is making an appearance for Otago Anniversary day today. A few showers are likely in Buller today, and scattered rain is expected to develop for rest of the West Coast tomorrow and also in the south as a trough approaches from the west. There could even be a period of heavy rain in the west of the South Island late Wednesday and during Thursday due to a strong, moist northerly flow ahead of this trough.

In the North Island, sunny periods may be interrupted by isolated showers over the next couple of days, especially over the northern half of the Island. The rain over Taranaki today, caused by a low out to the west, should clear tomorrow. However, rain will start to spread slowly up the North Island on Thursday, with scattered falls in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay as a weakening trough moves north.

There may be a sprinkling of showers prior to the 2pm start of the Black Caps' Cricket World Cup semi-final against South Africa on Tuesday at Eden Park, and these could linger into the start of the first innings. However, they should clear up as the sun breaks through during the match. For an update of this forecast closer to the time, see http://www.metservice. com/cricket.html

Further afield, the 4th tropical cyclone of the South Pacific season was named yesterday. Tropical Cyclone Reuben moved within MetService's area of responsibility overnight last night; however, the system has weakened and was reclassified as an extra-tropical low at midday today. For more information, see this blog post: http://blog.metservice. com/2015/03/tropical-cyclone-reuben/

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