A relatively settled end to the working week for the South Island may offer some help to the firefighting efforts in the Tasman region. MetService are forecasting that gusty southeasterly winds around the area will ease back throughout the region today, with a weak northerly breeze forecast on Friday.

“Whilst no rain is forecast, fine weather today and patchy cloud tomorrow mean conditions remain favourable for emergency support in the region,” says James Millward, “slightly cooler temperatures are also expected today and tomorrow, with a maximum of 21C forecast compared to yesterday’s 24C at Nelson Airport.”

Whilst high pressure and settled conditions remain in charge for the majority of the South Island into the weekend, a front moving onto the lower parts of the Island could bring heavy rain to western areas on Sunday, with temperatures also creeping up over the weekend into the high twenties for eastern areas.

In the North Island the weather is likely to be increasingly dictated by the tropics heading into the weekend and early next week. Our Tropical Cyclone Bench is closely monitoring the development of a potential tropical cyclone between Samoa and Fiji in the next 24 hours. Most weather models predict this low to track south over the next few days, passing to the east of New Zealand. Whilst not looking likely to move over the country itself, the system will bring down warm and humid air from the Tropics, warming things up after a cooler spell today and tomorrow.

“Eastern areas may see a few more showers than of late, whilst temperatures will begin to nudge thirty degrees in some western areas next week,” comments MetService meteorologist Millward.

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