A changeable week to see in spring

A changeable week to see in spring

A trio of low pressure systems will affect New Zealand later this week, a fitting start to the meteorological spring, which begins on Friday.

It was a wet and windy start to the week for many New Zealanders as strong northeasterly winds and a band of rain moved across the country. In New Plymouth, over 30mm of rain fell in three hourson Monday morning leading to several reports of significant surface flooding, while gusts of over 90 km/hr affected parts of the Auckland and Northland regions during the early hours of Monday.

“The current rain band and strong winds will continue to impact us for much of Monday,” explained MetService meteorologist Angus Hines, “but most places will be clearing out tonight, and Tuesdaywill be the nicest day of the week for much of the country.”

Isolated showers in western areas will be all there is to worry about on Tuesday, but several more weather systems will be approaching New Zealand to see out the rest of the week. The first low pressure system is forecast to approach Northland from the west, bringing cloud and rain or showers to the northern half of the North Island.

Next, a rapidly deepening low quickly races South down the east coast, and eastern areas of the country should expect some rain and cooler southerlies from Thursday. Current weather models suggest the low-pressure system will eventually slow down near the Chatham Islands, but will still direct a soggy southeasterly flow onto the east coast for several days.

Finally, to cap the week off, a third low pressure system will approach the northern tip of the country on Friday. There are multiple weather systems that will affect NZ before that, so timing is a little uncertain, but most of the North Island should expect some rain by Saturday.

“This week is looking like a busy one for our forecasters,” Mr Hines added, “So make sure to check the latest forecasts when planning outdoor pursuits or cross country travel.”

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

ENDS

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