Strong winds and isolated showers today are all that remains of the low, which brought prolonged rain and strong southerlies to the east of the North Island and upper South Island over the past week.

This low brought a dose of rain and cold southerlies to the whole of the country during Monday and Tuesday. However, as the weather began to ease over the South Island from Tuesday, the northeast of the North Island entered into a prolonged period of heavy rain and strong southerlies.

The southerly change which brought 96km/h gusts and rain to Wellington suburbs moved onto the Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions late Monday and lingered there as they became sandwiched between a slow moving ridge of high pressure to the south and the low to the east. Not until the weekend did the Severe Weather Watches over the areas lift.

“As a result of the prolonged rain, accumulations have reached well into the double digits for the Hawkes Bay and Gisborne regions with 444.5mm recorded over the Huiarua ranges from midday Tuesday to midday Saturday” April Clark MetService Meteorologist reported. “Away from the ranges, Napier has received 106.8mm in the same period meaning it has already received double its September average within the first third of the month” she added.

State highway 5 and 2 were closed for a time due to flooding and slips, leaving the main passes between eastern and central North Island impassable.

Though southerlies and scattered showers persisted over the east of the North Island into Saturday the rest of the country enjoyed settled and generally fine weather this weekend.

“Looking towards Monday, a trough currently sitting over Fiordland is expected to slowly push eastward to affect the lower South Island and Far North” Clark said. “Southerlies are expected to persist over Wellington, which would make Monday the sixth day straight for the Capital – not far off the observed record of ten seen in May 1978” she added.

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