September 2017 – Spring westerlies kick in

MetService News Release

05 September 2017

September 2017 – Spring westerlies kick in

Spring westerlies are expected to kick-start the month of September, producing a very wet first half of the month for western regions of both Islands.

“Spring is set to start with a bang, with westerlies really firing up across New Zealand,” said MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths. “However, we should see conditions settle down a little over the second half of September. In particular, the North Island is expected to see some spells of high pressure and quieter weather during the back half of the month.”

Overall, the MetService long-range forecast indicates above normal September rainfall for western regions of both Islands, as well as Bay of Plenty and Gisborne. Closer to normal September rainfall is predicted elsewhere.

“The Bay of Plenty has already received its full quota of rainfall for an entire year, with four months yet to come,” said Griffiths.

Tauranga, Taupo, Rotorua and Te Puke have all received more rain so far in 2017, than is normally received across a full year. Some locations in the eastern South Island have, too - namely Christchurch and Ashburton.

A colder than average September, overall, is signalled for inland areas of the South Island, especially the Southern Lakes, inland Southland, and inland Otago. Elsewhere around the country, monthly temperatures are expected to track near normal for the time of year – noting that temperatures often swing wildly over the course of a few days, at this time of year.

The latest Rural Outlook can be found at +www.metservice.com%2Frural%2Fmonthly-outlook. You can keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings at 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

© Scoop Media