Wet but warm day likely

Wanganui folk should prepare for a slightly wet but very warm Christmas Day, with MetService predicting the mercury to peak at 30C tomorrow with a few dampening showers in the mix as well.

Tomorrow's forecast follows these weather predictions for Christmas Eve: a little bit cloudy, the chance of a few showers but also very warm.

The northerlies would die away on Boxing Day, MetService said, but anyone heading to the Cemetery Circuit motorcycle races should expect a bit of rain during the day.

And it would be another warm one, the temperature expected to peak at 27C.

The warm stuff is being pushed ahead of northeasterly winds brought down from the tropics by the remnants of Cyclone Evan.

After bashing its way across Samoa and Fiji, the system has lost some of its oomph but will still have a significant bearing on what Santa and his reindeer will have to contend with as they traverse the country.

MetService has issued a severe weather watch for much of the North Island and said the heaviest rainfall would occur in the Far North overnight and into today.

The deep low-pressure system was expected to lie west of the North Island tomorrow and then on Boxing Day was expected to move on to central New Zealand, bringing heavy rain over the North Island from Waitomo to Wellington. On Thursday, however, the low was expected to Ex-cyclone

still a danger

move away to the east and a ridge was likely to bring settled weather to the country. But a MetService spokesman said weakening tropical cyclones should never be underestimated and Evan was "far from a spent force".

Weather watchThis is the pattern MetService is forecasting for Wanganui over the next three days:

Today - Cloudy periods with the odd shower and winds from the northeast. Expect the temperature to reach a high of 27C.

Tomorrow - Dress for summer with the mercury expected to get to 30C. Again often cloudy with a few showers, driven by northerly winds.

Boxing Day - If you're off to the Cemetery Circuit, take some rainwear just in case. A few showers are forecast but the northeasterly winds should drop away. It'll be warm, with a high of 27C forecast.