A ridge of high pressure smothers New Zealand during the working week, leading to plenty of clear skies and light winds. MetService forecasts the string of sunny days to break towards the weekend when a trough is likely to spread strong winds and heavy rain over Aotearoa.

High pressure causes downward motion in the atmosphere. This helps prevent clouds forming. Ridges generally lead to light winds. This week’s weather will be generally sunny and calm, but some kiwis will have cloudy starts.

MetService meteorologist Andrew James explains “At this time of year, the nights are long enough that under the clear skies of a ridge, night-time cooling allows some moisture to condense as morning low cloud or fog, especially in valleys. This cloud is only in the lowest part of the atmosphere, so typically burns off by lunchtime.”

This spell of fine days will break to quite significant weather. The timing is unclear at this stage, but heavy rain and strong winds are expected at the end of this week. “Models are indicating a trough moving up the country through the weekend. There’s some uncertainty with the timing, so keep an eye on the forecast. So, the next few days of clear and sunny weather are a good chance to get any autumn leaves out of the gutters,” says James.

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