Front brings wet weather to many

Front brings wet weather to many - Thursday 7 April 2016

MetService News Release
Thursday 7 April 2016

A front, currently affecting southern parts of the South Island, will move up the country today and Friday bringing rain or showers to many. While the front lingers around the northeast of the North Island into the weekend, a ridge of high pressure brings more settled weather in the South Island.

“The front has already been making itself known to some places in the very south of the country,” said MetService Meteorologist Claire Flynn. “We have a Severe Weather Warning in place for heavy rain in Fiordland, the ranges of Westland, and western Southland until this evening, as the front moves through these areas. The remaining parts of Southland are under a Severe Weather Watch.”

The front is expected to move onto the North Island on Friday, but it weakens as it moves north. “Once the front gets to the North Island, it is looking like it will bring showers, or just a brief period of rain,” Flynn stated. Over the South Island, a ridge of high pressure begins to take control on Friday, meaning that rain and showers should clear for most people.

As we move into the weekend, the front lingering around the northeast of the North Island starts to strengthen once again, bringing rain at times to many places in the upper and central North Island. “The Bay of Plenty looks like they will see the most rain, with some heavy falls expected on Sunday,” Flynn said. Meanwhile, it is looking like a fine weekend for many in the South Island, with just a few cloudy periods, and scattered showers in the west. Another front then begins to approach the South Island as we move into next week.

Further north in the tropics, all eyes have been on Tropical Cyclone Zena, which skirted past Fiji last night, as a Category 3 system. Zena has weakened a little since passing Fiji and is now headed over Tonga. The cyclone is moving quickly and is forecast to continue weakening over the next day or two.

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