The MetService is forecasting settled conditions after a what has been a busy weather week.

A strong cold front, which delivered snow to many places across the South Island and lower North Island earlier this week, including the Tararua Range, left a colder mass of air in its wake. This was felt in the cold minimum temperatures that were recorded across the country on Wednesday, and culminated in parts of upper North Island experiencing their coolest temperatures since last spring this morning [Thursday], with Hamilton dropping to 0.8°C and Tauranga down to 4.7°C.

Those on the west coast of the lower North Island got a surprise of their own on Wednesday evening, with Mount Taranaki, over 200km away from Wellington, being able to be seen clearly. MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane explains: “This excellent visibility was thanks to the dry air and calm winds brought in behind the cold front”.

From tomorrow [Friday] a ridge of high pressure gradually moves onto the country, and conditions look set to remain settled for most over the coming days. Fiordland and lower Westland are the outliers, however, as a series of weak fronts bring occasional rainfall through the weekend.

The eastern South Island starts off the weekend drizzly, before conditions clear out and temperatures bounce back from Saturday, with Ashburton climbing to 21°C by Sunday.

These calm conditions will be a break from what has been a week a of wet weather for many, and the weekend is looking good for those wanting to catch up on a bit of gardening or other outdoor “bubble” activities. This is ahead of hints of a front which at this point is looking to affect western South Island early next week, which MetService will continue to monitor.

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