Wet and windy to wind up the school holidays

26 April 2018

Wet and windy to wind up the school holidays

Autumn weather is showing its best side today, with clear skies and light winds for much of the country. However, MetService is forecasting a very damp upcoming weekend of weather as autumn shows its wet and windy side, and many New Zealanders will be looking for inside activities to end the school holidays.

A complex low is brewing in the Tasman Sea, and will slowly roll past the North Island this weekend. Rain spreads across the North Island on Saturday, with the heaviest falls in the north and Northland looking especially damp. Meanwhile northeasterly gales develop, again for the upper North Island. The rain sticks around on Sunday. As the low slowly ambles by winds turn more easterly, sheltering western areas such as Wanganui and Manawatu, but spreading good falls of rain through the north and east.

“This complex low has yet to fully form”, explained meteorologist Tom Adams, “so there are still a range of possible outcomes for the country. It is fair to say it will be a wet and windy weekend for most of the North Island, however the risk of these winds and rain becoming severe, especially for Auckland and other main centres, is less certain at this point.”

Tomorrow MetService is likely to issue Severe Weather Watches and Warnings as the situation becomes clearer, and it is important that people check the MetService website or apps for updates.

“Keeping up-to-date with the latest information is particularly pertinent this weekend with the increased traffic on the roads at the end of the school holidays, and the chance of disruption and delays. This can be done by checking the MetService website or downloading our app.”

The outlook for Saturday shows rain is forecast for most of New Zealand.

Meanwhile it is quite a different story for the South Island. A front moving north past Southland and Otago tomorrow evening will bring showers, with the chance of thunderstorms and hail. This front also marks a change to a much colder airmass for the south, and Dunedin is unlikely to top 12 degrees this weekend. There will also be flurries of snow as low as 800 metres for the hills of Canterbury and Otago. On Saturday the showers gradually clear, before a ridge develops for a cool but calmer Sunday, with plenty of sunshine in the south and west.

Official Severe Weather Watches and Warnings are reviewed and re-issued by MetService at least every twelve hours, and more often if necessary. To get the most up to date information on severe weather around the country, or any other forecasts, see metservice.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 and @MetServiceWARN on Twitter and at blog.metservice.com

MetService issues Warnings, Watches and Outlooks for severe weather over New Zealand.

Warnings are about taking action when severe weather is imminent or is occurring. They are issued only when required.
Recommendation: ACT

Watches are about being alert when severe weather is possible, but not sufficiently imminent or certain for a Warning to be issued. They are issued only when required.
Recommendation: BE READY

Outlooks are about looking ahead, providing advance information on possible future Watches and/or Warnings. They are issued routinely once or twice a day.
Recommendation: PLAN

ends

© Scoop Media