Here comes the sun

It may have felt like a long, cold winter, but next week will bring much needed sun to New Zealand, and a reminder that spring is around the corner.

Rain fell over much of the country this weekend, and although not reaching warning amounts, falls of up to 17mm per hour were recorded at New Plymouth airport and near Clinton in the South Island. Temperatures struggled, with Saturday’s high 18.1C in Levin, and the best of the South Island 15.9C at Franz Josef. The reason for the predominately wintery weather was a broad low pressure crossing the country, bringing cloud, rain and southerly winds.

Looking ahead, a ridge of high pressure crosses New Zealand, and for the first time since the 4th of August, the ridge graces our shores for more than a fleeting visit. As the ridge moves into place cold southerlies sweep north, so temperatures will be below average for the start of the week. Southerlies reached gust speeds of 115km/h at Brothers Island in the Cook Strait on Sunday morning, and a severe weather watch for remains in force for strong winds about central New Zealand until Monday morning.

Showers in the southerly will stick around in the east on Monday, before clearing out on Tuesday. The remainder of the week remains mainly dry, with a good dose of sunshine. “Under clear skies temperatures will drop at night, and Tuesday night looks like the coldest for the week, with many locations dropping below zero on both Islands” said meteorologist Tom Adams. Winds will slowly switch round to the north, bringing back some warmth, but also the cloud. Rain starts in Fiordland on Wednesday, but is held back from spreading much further north by the ridge, until next weekend.

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