A topsy turvy week ahead - 18 July 2016

A topsy turvy week ahead - 18 July 2016

MetService News Release
18 July 2016

Expect wild swings in the weather this week as a number of weather features cross the country from the Southern Ocean.

Southwesterlies ease today, but another front with strong west to southwesterly winds sweeps northwards on Tuesday. MetService Meteorologist Peter Little commented, “A Watch for severe westerly gales has been issued for much of the North Island including Auckland on Tuesday, where gusts around 100 km/h are likely. We’re also expecting a burst of heavy rain about the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges.” However, despite the potential severe weather, this front will be welcomed by skiers with a few more centimetres of snow likely to fall on the slopes.

The showery southwesterly flow persists through Wednesday, and then eases on Thursday as another ridge of high pressure moves onto New Zealand. “Thursday looks to be the best day of the final week of the School Holidays to spend time outdoors, with light winds and clear skies forecast for many regions, although inland places will likely start the day with a frost”, said Mr Little.

Winds swing around to the northwest on Friday ahead of a significant front, which is expected to affect the country over the weekend. “Heavy rain is forecast in western areas on Saturday, and northwest gales could be severe in some regions. Its likely Warnings and Watches will be issued for this event closer to the weekend, so people should keep up to date with our severe weather information. Also, warmer than normal temperatures for July are likely on Saturday, especially in eastern areas where those strong northwest winds could push the mercury over 20C in some places”, added Mr Little.

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