Wet In The West And Warm In The East By Friday
MetService is forecasting wet weather for western parts of southern and central New Zealand by the end of this week, while northwesterly winds will bring warm temperatures to northern and eastern regions. This humid northwest regime is also expected to persist into the weekend.
The short week starts off with a ridge of high pressure in charge, and average to below average temperatures. Although cloud and showers will be a fly in the ointment for some, the weather is fine in most places and winds are light.
The high moves onto northern New Zealand on Wednesday, then away to the northeast of the country on Thursday. This allows the northwest flow to become established over the country, which brings rain to western parts of southern and central New Zealand, and causes the temperature to climb, especially in northern and eastern regions.
MetService Meteorologist Peter Little comments, “Moist northwesterlies are expected to bring heavy rain to the west of the South Island from Thursday through into the weekend, and Severe Weather Warnings and/or Watches will likely be issued closer to the time, as detailed on our Severe Weather Outlook.”
Northwest winds are also forecast to fan temperatures into the mid-twenties in some eastern areas on Friday, and the northwesterlies are forecast to get even hotter and more humid over the weekend.
“Humid northwesterlies will not only bring warm daytime temperatures to eastern regions by the weekend but also bring relatively high overnight temperatures right across the country. The warmth and humidity will make sleeping difficult for some as we head into the weekend, so if you haven’t done so already it may to time to swap out the flannelette sheets and ready your summer pyjamas,” added Little.