MetService Severe Weather: Thursday 11th of April - April 15th.
Video / Metservice
A sun-soaked beach in Fiji, it ain’t.
But after the wet, windy and wild late week that many parts of the country have endured, a few scattered showers and some breezy southwesterlies won’t be the worst weather to push kids out the door for school holiday fun today.
And there’s even a summery surprise on the way for one lucky region this week.
“We’re on an easing trend now,” said MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon, after a late week weather-bashing damaged road and rail infrastructure, caused power cuts, prompted flight cancellations and battered commuters.
“The low-pressure system [was due to] move away overnight, and leaves behind a showery southwesterly flow. There’ll be scattered showers over the North Island and the north-western and very south of the South Island [today], but the rest of the island will be largely dry.”
The southwesterly would be easing over the whole country by the afternoon, but it would be a couple of days before calmer conditions returned, Wotherspoon said.
“But we aren’t looking anything like the wild weather that we’ve had the last few days, or even yesterday.”
A rail bridge over the Rangitata River in South Canterbury has been left sagging after floodwaters washed away a supporting pillar on Friday. Photo / George Heard
A southwest wind meant cooler temperatures across the country, with Christchurch having already plunged from 28C on Wednesday to 13C yesterday and the drop was also noticeable in the north where overnight lows had lingered around 20C earlier this week.
It will be cloudy with isolated showers in Auckland and Northland today, with highs of 21C and showers clearing in the afternoon for Auckland and in the evening further north, Wotherspoon said.
“That’s pretty normal for Auckland in a southwesterly.”
Auckland families weren't put off by yesterday's southwesterly-fuelled wet and breezy weather and were seen enjoying outings to the park at Western Springs. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
That southwest flow returns tomorrow, bringing “a few more showers” to the city.
Western and central areas of the North Island may also cop the odd shower, she said.
“The further west you go, the more showers there’ll be.”
Wellington would be cloudy and cool today and tomorrow before sunshine returned with a high of 18C on Tuesday.
But real sunseekers should head east, where Hawke’s Bay is expecting sunny weather and highs of 24C on Tuesday and Wednesday, Wotherspoon said.
“That’s good going for April, it’s about 4C above average for the time of year.”
The weather was a mixed bag for Aucklanders venturing outdoors yesterday, including these pigeon fans at Western Springs, with frequent showers between periods of sunshine. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
A series of weak fronts was expected to pass over the lower South Island in the next few days, promising showers for Southland, southern Westland and Fiordland, and possibly into Otago, she said.
It should be mostly dry elsewhere, including Christchurch and Nelson where the temperature is forecast to top 20C on Tuesday.
“[We’re] under a southwesterly flow … but the weather’s much more benign than what we’ve been seeing recently.
“This is New Zealand in autumn, coming into winter.”
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.
