MetService forecast: More rain and gales as school holidays begin

Wet and windy conditions are expected across New Zealand for the start of the school holidays.

MetService said rain and wind will move across the North Island today and start to shift away into the evening, while a cool and showery southwest flow will sit over much of the country.

Some parts of the country have already experienced severe winds, with recorded gusts of 137km/h in Manukau Heads.

However, there is some respite from the bad weather, especially in the South Island, “as a ridge of high pressure moves across the country from the west”, MetService meteorologist Ciaran Doolin said.

Friday night is expected to be unseasonably cold for the North Island because of the cooler air mass and more settled conditions, with the mercury tipped to be 6C overnight in Auckland.

This won’t last for long, “as a strengthening northerly flow builds over the country on Saturday ahead of another front approaching from the Tasman Sea”, Doolin said.

The front will move up the South Island on Sunday, bringing rain to the west before sitting over the central part of the country into next week.

The North Island should have good conditions over the weekend, in contrast to some of the weather experienced today.

Severe winds disrupted travel across the Auckland Harbour Bridge with lanes reduced in each direction for a short time.

The wet weather was expected to set in from the middle of the day and could linger to impact commuters on their way home.

Wairarapa and the Tararua District have been placed under a strong wind warning as severe gale northwesterlies might reach up to 120km/h.

A Strong Wind Warning for the Wairarapa and the Tararua District has been extended to 3pm this afternoon. Severe gale nothwesterlies gusting 120km/h in exposed places are expected to continue until that time.https://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/VO94H4YK8M

— MetService (@MetService) September 18, 2025

South Islanders in eastern places are forecast to experience some warmer September weather, with northerly air heating up as it goes to the eastern side of the Southern Alps.