Ferocious winds then wet to end the week

Ferocious winds then wet to end the week

It's a ferociously windy start to the week for many areas, as a persistent ridge over Australia and the Tasman Sea push a strong west to southwest flow over New Zealand for the next few days.

The strong west to southwest flow has triggered a number of Severe Weather Warnings and Watches for today and Tuesday across much of the South Island, and lower North Island. In particular, gusts may reach 140km/h about inland parts of Canterbury today.

These westerly gales stretch from the Indian Ocean to New Zealand. With such an enormous length or 'fetch', significant swells are forecast for western and southern coastal areas all week. Swells rise to 4 metres today andtomorrow north of Raglan, getting larger as you head southwards with 8-metre swells set to give Fiordland and the southern coastline a battering at times until Wednesday morning.

"After a busy few days with the southwest flow, the weather should settle down mid-week, especially for those who live north of Taupo," said MetService Meteorologist Rob Kerr. "After this however, a complex low looks set to bring significant rain to the central North Island later on Friday and intoSaturday, including catchments still recovering from flooding a little over week ago. We know that's the last thing they need right now,and we'll be keeping close tabs on how this system is likely to affect the area, " said Kerr.

After the spectacular efforts of the Kiwi teams in the Super Rugby Semi Finals, all eyes will be on the capital for Saturday evening's big final. A strong, cold southerly change early on Saturday is set to bring showers to Wellington, easing as game time approaches.

Keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings atmetservice.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 on Twitter and at blog.metservice.com.

For further information please contact:
Rob Kerr Meteorologist (04) 4700 754
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MetService issues Warnings, Watches and Outlooks for severe weather over New Zealand.
Warnings are about taking action:
* When severe weather is imminent or is occurring
* Issued only when required
* Recommendation: ACT
Watches are about being alert:
* When severe weather is possible, but not sufficiently imminent or certain for a Warning to be issued
* Issued only when required
* Recommendation: BE READY
Outlooks are about looking ahead:
* To provide advance information on possible future Watches and/or Warnings
* Issued routinely once or twice a day
* Recommendation: PLAN

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