Severe Weather for Some This Weekend - 27 April 2018

MetService News Release
27 April 2018

MetService is forecasting persistent rain and strong winds for parts of the country as a low-pressure system moves in from the northwest this weekend.

Severe weather Warnings and Watches in place for Northland, Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty in the north, and Dunedin and North Otago in the south. There is still a degree of uncertainly around where the most severe weather will occur.

“What we do know is most of the country will experience a wet and windy weekend, with those areas exposed to the low on high alert for more severe weather,” said MetService Meteorologist Tui McInnes.

MetService urges everyone to keep up-to-date with the latest information by downloading the MetService App or using our website.

Strong winds may reach warning criteria, with northeasterlies impacting locations exposed to that direction, particularly Northland and Auckland, which are currently under Severe Weather Watches.

While the event is not expected to have the same impact as the April 10 winds through Auckland, this is still a significant event. “The difference this time is that the winds are coming from a different direction and are longer lasting, as opposed to the short burst we saw last month,” said Tui.

“The current situation means we will see prolonged rain for the North Island, possibly lasting into early next week,” McInnes explained. “This will result in large rainfall accumulations over a period of time, impacting catchment areas and can lead to localised surface flooding or coastal inundations.”

Meanwhile the South Island is also expected to see some heavy rainfall accumulations. Otago in particular, is likely to see persistent rain from this afternoon through to tomorrow evening. Also, Westland is expected to see a long period of rain lasting from this evening through tomorrow.

With people returning home after school holidays this weekend, and travelling through the affected areas, it is important that everyone keep-up-to-date with latest weather forecasts as part of planning their journey. their journey planning decisions.

“We are reminding people to heed all travel advisories, and stay aware of our Severe Weather Watches and Warnings,” said McInnes, “most importantly, we urge people to stay safe”.

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