Better weather to start the school holidays

MetService News Release
Thursday, 24 Sep 2015

Better weather to start the school holidays

A moist easterly flow over the country will bring cloud and a few showers to many this weekend, with more rain in store for Hawke's Bay and Gisborne. However, the west and the south will be dry as a ridge of high pressure starts to build over the country.

"This week has been a shocker for many, with hardly a glimpse of blue sky for eastern and central parts," commented MetService Meteorologist Emma Blades. "In the last five days, Wellington recorded a measly 2.1 hours of sunshine, while some spots in the Gisborne received 200-300mm of rain." Over 100mm of rain also fell in Hawke's Bay on Wednesday, with more than 70mm for the Tararua Range. This heavy rain has led to flooding and road closures, with Warnings and Watches remaining in place for Hawke's Bay and Gisborne. Elsewhere, the rain will gradually ease.

"It's not going to be a stunning weekend, with cloud and a few showers hanging around, but compared to what we had for most of this week it's not too bad a start to the school holidays," Blades went on to say. An area of high pressure starts to spread over the South Island on Saturday, bringing settled weather. "The best spots weather-wise will be the west and the far south, which is good news for Timaru, who will be celebrating their long anniversary weekend," Blades commented.

Temperatures are looking pretty average for this time of year, with highs in the mid-teens for most places, and a little cooler in eastern areas. Daylight saving starts this weekend leading to longer days, but also increasing UV levels, so remember to cover up when the sun finally does decide to make an appearance.

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

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