Muggy nights ahead for upper North Island as humid airmass sticks around

Name: Focus: Hot muggy weather for NZ to stay
Uploaded: 2022-02-08T13:09:08+13:00
Description: Have you been feeling the hot, muggy weather lately? NIWA forecaster Nava Fedaeff explains where it's coming from and how long it will last for NZ. Video / NZ Herald

By Adam Pearse

Deputy Political Editor·NZ Herald·

7 Feb, 2022 03:22 AM2 mins to read

Have you been feeling the hot, muggy weather lately? NIWA forecaster Nava Fedaeff explains where it's coming from and how long it will last for NZ. Video / NZ Herald

Kiwis in the upper North Island can expect uncomfortable nights tossing back the covers with humid conditions forecast this week.

MetService expects minimum temperatures in Auckland and Northland to stay above 20C through to Saturday, thanks to a warm humid air mass holding steady at the top of the country.

Areas including Kaitāia, Dargaville and Whangārei are not expected to dip below 23C almost all week.

🌡 Warm muggy nights are forecast right through the week in the upper North Island

The warm humid airmass affecting the top of the country is staying put, with minimum temperatures in Northland and Auckland remaining in the low 20s. 🥵

ℹ More details at https://t.co/hnwmGxCYeR pic.twitter.com/XW20IdQQdY
— MetService (@MetService) February 7, 2022

Auckland would be much the same at 21-22C. From Thursday, Hamilton and Rotorua would not see temperatures fall below 20C.

In fact, the only North Island centres without minimum temperatures of 20C at some stage this week will be Wellington and Masterton. Nelson is the only South Island centre that may hit the 20C minimum throughout the week.

It comes as almost all heavy rain warnings and watches have expired or are yet to be renewed after a wet Waitangi Weekend.

MetService issued heavy rain warnings for Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Gisborne, Bay of Plenty about and east of Whakatane and Hawke's Bay north of Napier which would end this evening.

Heavy rain watches for Bay of Plenty west of Whakatane, including Rotorua and Hawke's Bay about and south of Napier, conclude this evening.

The only watch still active is for Westland where periods of heavy rain are expected to fall between 6am Wednesday and 9am on Thursday.

The impact of wild weather in the small West Coast town of Granity. Photo / George Heard

It follows stressful times for West Coasters who needed to leave their homes as rain besieged the region, contributing to the wettest February day in Westport since records began in 1944.

Some schools on the Coast were closed and roads had been shut off by slips. Power, phones and the internet were also out in some areas.

Similar power issues plagued Auckland with Sunday night's weather causing a number of outages around the city, largely in Karekare, Huia, Torbay Heights and Parau.