MetService News Release
Monday, 23 Feb 2015
A front brings rain for some mid-week
A weak area of low pressure that covered the country over the weekend brought showers to many places with some building
into thunderstorms during the afternoons and evenings. Nelson, Ashburton and Roxburgh received around 20mm of rain,
which though useful, wasn't the amount some have been wishing for.
"We can expect another scattering of showers for the beginning of this week,especially over the North Island, as well as
the upper and inland parts of the South Island during Monday and Tuesday", MetService Meteorologist Peter Little
commented. "Most of the shower activity will be fuelled by daytime heating, when some of the showers could develop into
thunderstorms", added Little.
On Wednesday, an active front is expected to muscle its way up the South Island and onto the lower North Island. This
front brings a period of rain to the West Coast, and a strong, showery southerly change to eastern parts of the South
Island and lower North Island. "Though any showers reaching dry eastern areas will be welcomed by farmers and growers,
most can expect only a few millimetres", said Little.
Conditions improve in most places on Thursday, as the front dissipates by the time it reaches the upper North Island and
a new ridge of high pressure spreads over the country. This is good news for those following the Cricket World Cup, as
dry conditions are expected when Afghanistan take on Scotland in Dunedin on Thursday. Little went on to say "Though a
new high moves in later this week the atmosphere remains unstable over the North Island, so isolated showers are
expected during the afternoon and evenings".
Expect more of the same on Friday, with mostly fine weather across the country but isolated showers for northern and
inland parts of the North Island. Late in the day another front brings strengthening northerlies to the South Island,
along with rain for the West Coast.
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