Wet And Humid Weekend For Most

The mostly-settled weather we’re currently enjoying is expected to come to an end this weekend as a ridge of high pressure starts to give way to a moist, strong easterly flow. A band of rain associated with a broad area of low pressure from the Tropics has started sinking south over the upper North Island. By the end of the weekend most of the country will see some wet weather, with the only exception being the southern part of the South Island which will remain mostly dry.

As the humid air mass tracks over the North Island during the weekend, uncomfortably warm overnight temperatures will return for most.

MetService meteorologist Kyle Lee said, “Temperatures in North Island main centres aren’t expected to drop below 18C this weekend, with all the main centres seeing above-average minimum temperatures.”

“Although the South Island won’t be as warm, most centres will still be above their average minimum temperatures for this time of year,” Lee added.

How much the humidity will affect the overnight temperatures on Sunday at 1am.

Of more concern for this weekend will be heavy rainfall, which could affect parts of the country still recovering from the damage caused by last week’s severe weather event.

Lee commented, “We currently have a Severe Weather Warning in force for heavy rainfall in Northland, and Watches for Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula. Other areas which could see heavy rain during this weather event are Bay of Plenty, northern Gisborne, Taranaki, Nelson and the west coast of the South Island.”

MetService’s Monthly Outlook shows wetter-than-average conditions expected for the North Island, with warm and muggy temperatures lingering. The Tropics are also quite active right now; although we have seen only one named system so far this Tropical Cyclone season, there is the potential for a few more storms to brew in the coming weeks. You can find out more about MetService’s role in monitoring the tropics at http://info.metraweather.com/e/60812/ings-tropical-cyclone-activity/fnc13h/665555154.

Accumulated rainfall expected over New Zealand for the next 6 days.

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

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