Heavy rain forecast, but not all will get a top-up

MetService News Release

Monday 15 February 2016

Heavy rain forecast, but not all will get a top-up

Bursts of heavy rain are forecast for western and central parts of the country during the next few days. Unfortunately for farmers in many eastern areas, little rain is likely to reach the parched ground there.

Monday will be warm and dry for most New Zealanders, with the far south and the west coast being the only areas to get decent rain, with the heaviest falls in Fiordland. Tuesday looks to be another warm day, but heavy rain is forecast for the west of the South Island, where a Severe Weather Warning and Watch is in place. Everywhere else will stay mostly dry apart from a few showers dotted about.

“Out in the south Tasman Sea, an area of low pressure is heading towards the country, and byWednesday it is expected to push even more rain onto the west of the South Island,” said meteorologist Emma Blades. “The rain will reach most other places in the country by the end ofWednesday, and linger on into Thursday,” commented Ms Blades. A strong northerly flow accompanies the rain, so areas exposed to a northerly wind could get some heavy falls. “Unfortunately, parched eastern areas from Dunedin northwards are unlikely to get anything more than a sprinkling, although Marlborough should get some useful rain on Thursday,” Ms Blades added.

Any remaining rain gradually clears New Zealand on Friday, kindly leaving us with a pretty dry weekend for any outdoors plans. As usual, there will still be the chance of catching a rogue shower.

In terms of the tropics, Tropical Cyclone Tatiana was downgraded to a tropical low on Sunday. Tropical Cyclone Winston is forecast to track northeast, and while it poses no threat to New Zealand, it is likely to affect the southern islands of Fiji on Monday night through to Tuesday, before heading towards Tonga.

Official Severe Weather Watches and Warnings are reviewed and re-issued by MetService at least every twelve hours, and more often if necessary. To get the most up to date information on severe weather around the country, or any other forecasts, see 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

MetService issues Warnings, Watches and Outlooks for severe weather over New Zealand.

Warnings are about taking action when severe weather is imminent or is occurring. They are issued only when required.
Recommendation: ACT

Watches are about being alert when severe weather is possible, but not sufficiently imminent or certain for a Warning to be issued. They are issued only when required.
Recommendation: BE READY

Outlooks are about looking ahead, providing advance information on possible future Watches and/or Warnings. They are issued routinely once or twice a day.
Recommendation: PLAN

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