MetService News Release
Monday, 25 Aug 2014
A benign week ahead
A large high west of the South Island has been responsible for the cool southerly flow over the weekend, which pushed
cloud and light showers onto eastern parts of the country including the Capital and Christchurch.Further west, there was
a hint of spring in the air, with many centres experiencing clear blue skies and afternoon temperatures in the mid to
high teens. "Auckland had a cracker of a weekend, which was well overdue after enduring an unusually high number of wet
days this month," said Meteorologist Peter Little.
The high remains the dominant player in our weather this week, as it drifts slowly across the South Island and towards
the Chatham Islands by the weekend. "This is a very intense high, one of the most stubborn we've seen for months,"
commented Little. "If you're lucky enough to have a barometer on the wall at home, give it a tap and you'll see it's
pointing well into fair weather territory."
This high brings settled weather to the South Island for the remainder of the week, though light winds and clear skies
provide perfect conditions for fog to form after dark. There's also some low cloud trapped under this high, which may
affect the east coast from time to time. "This high originated over South Australia more than a week ago. Whilst
travelling across the Tasman it has absorbed moisture from the sea, which is now trapped in the lowest part of the
atmosphere," Little went on to say.
It's a similar story for the south and east of the North Island, where a light southeast flow will continue to feed
cloud onshore. For the north and west of the North Island, the spring-like weather continues for the early part of the
week, but toward next weekend easterlies begin to pick up in the north and the weather deteriorates. "If you live in the
upper North Island make the most of the good weather while you can, as rain or drizzle is expected on Friday," Little
added.
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