MetService News Release
Thursday 24th January 2019
A hot weekend in store, many places will hit 30°C on Sunday
A ridge of high pressure builds over New Zealand during Friday, meaning largely settled conditions for much of the
country, however Metservice is forecasting a trough to linger over the upper North Island Friday afternoon, triggering
isolated showers from Bay of Plenty to Northland.
“Strong, warm northwesterlies once again build over the South Island during Saturday as the ridge stalls over the upper
North Island,” says MetService Meteorologist Rob Kerr, “so areas of heavy rain are forecast for the West Coast of the
South Island, with gales affecting eastern parts of the South Island and lower North Island”.
“The warm air blown in by the northwesterlies parks up over New Zealand on Sunday, and temperatures across the country
are expected to soar, with many places expected to break the 30°C barrier during the afternoon,” Kerr adds, “the high
humidity is likely to mean some uncomfortable nights as we start the working week, with minimum temperatures around 20°C
for many places,” he says.
Those heading to sporting events across New Zealand over the next couple of days should pack the sunscreen, with fine
weather expected for both the Black Clash cricket at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval on Friday, and the Black Caps ODI vs
India at the Bay Oval in Tauranga on Saturday. It is also Auckland Anniversary this weekend, with a range of events
happening across the region, including Laneway Festival on Monday, and the weather is certainly coming to the party with
a high of 27°C on the cards that afternoon.