Last weekend was sunny and dry for most of New Zealand but since then a few fronts have brought bouts of unsettled weather. For the upcoming weekend, MetService predicts high pressure to encompass the country, seeing the settled conditions return.

A cold front has recently swept over Aotearoa with cooler conditions today for almost all of the country, which will be welcomed news for many in the north after several very warm and humid nights.

MetService meteorologist Luis Fernandes explains, “Friday morning will be particularly chilly for the interior of the country with many areas expecting single-digit minimum temperatures as a cooler, drier airmass is now in place. Coastal areas will also be noticeably cooler where overnight lows reach the low to mid-teens.”

Being Auckland Anniversary weekend, many holidaymakers will be hoping for warm and dry weather, and it seems they will be in luck according to Fernandes, “A broad area of high pressure positions itself over the country and brings settled weather to almost all of New Zealand this weekend. The resulting light winds and sunshine help push temperatures up, with pretty good holiday weather expected for all the regions getting the long weekend”.

A front will brush the far south on Sunday, with some rain in the area but has little effect on temperatures and by Monday a hot day is expected for parts of Otago and Southland.

Looking north to the tropics, predictions are that a low pressure system will move into the Coral Sea early next week, then head toward the South Island around the middle of the week. There is a chance that this may result in a significant rainfall event for the West Coast from Wednesday onward although, there is uncertainty at this stage as Fernandes explains, “The movement and intensity of lows from the tropics are notoriously difficult to predict, especially more than a day or two out so for now, we will continue to closely monitor how this system develops, and should have a clearer picture early next week of any potential impacts to New Zealand”.

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