A cool and showery start to the week

MetService News Release

Sunday 3 April 2016

The complex trough which affected the country yesterday has now moved off to the east. A number of areas experienced sustained periods of heavy rain. The northern slopes of Mt Egmont saw 211 mm of rain from midnight Friday to 7am this morning, including 37 mm in one hour early Saturday morning! In the same period, a station in the eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty recorded 141 mm, with 31 mm in one hour early this morning.

With this trough now gone, a southwest flow is forecast to establish itself over the country today, bringing showers to many central and western areas. Showers will also develop in eastern areas like Marlborough, Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay and Gisborne tomorrow.

This showery southwest flow weakens into the new week, with showers gradually clearing in most places tomorrow as a ridge of high pressure starts to build over the South Island.

As the cold air flow spreads over the country the temperatures drop down considerably over the next couple of days, with only a few places in the South Island getting above the mid-teens tomorrow and dropping to single digits overnight.

On Tuesday, a ridge of high pressure predominates, with any remaining showers about the east of the North Island clearing in the morning making for a fine day across the country. Similarly,Wednesday is shaping up to be mostly fine. However, a front approaching the country from the southern Tasman brings strong or gale westerlies to the Far South.

On Thursday, this front spreads rain over the Far South, but the rest of the country should remain fine. Meanwhile a low develops in the Tasman, and on Friday spreads rain across the South Island, especially in the west, and the lower North Island later.

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