A few showers on Christmas are unlikely to worry Whangārei 6-year-old Emmie Van Sinten (left) and 8-year-old Brianna Wendt, who don't mind getting wet. Photo / Denise Piper
A few showers on Christmas are unlikely to worry Whangārei 6-year-old Emmie Van Sinten (left) and 8-year-old Brianna Wendt, who don't mind getting wet. Photo / Denise Piper
Northland’s Christmas Day weather is forecast to include morning rain in the Far North but it is not expected to dampen Christmas cheer, according to MetService.
A front with an associated rainband will impact the Far North in the early morning, MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said.
It is unclearif Whangārei will also be affected, he said on Wednesday.
“We do know there’s a front around the Far North bringing rain, and south of the front the weather will be better.”
Once the front moves off in the morning, there will be the chance of localised showers across Northland, but the weather will be mostly bright and sunny, despite high cloud, Corrigan said.
Corrigan advised Northlanders wanting to enjoy time outside to keep an eye on the rain radar to see if they can dodge the showers.
Another MetService meteorologist, Michael Pawley, said the spring-like winds from the westerly quarter that Northland had experienced in the past couple of weeks would continue.
“I’m not seeing anything extreme, but we haven’t settled into the typical summer with light winds and sea breezes,” he said.
“We’re hoping it will come soon.”
It might not be sunny, but the forecast is for good water quality at Northland beaches such as popular Matapōuri Bay. Photo / NZME
There might be a few showers and a bit of wind around on Christmas Day, but the water quality forecast for Northland’s most popular swimming spots is good, according to Safeswim.
The website safeswim.org.nz provides water quality predictions based on data collected by Northland Regional Council for 70 freshwater and beach sites in the region.
All are showing good water quality, apart from Piroa Falls near Maungatūroto and Tauranga Bay Estuary in the Far North, where swimming is not advised.
The total fire ban for the area north of Kaitāia, including Ahipara, was introduced at noon on Tuesday and would be in place until further notice, district manager Wipari Henwood said.
The area had an increasing risk of fire escaping and spreading, due to an extended period of high winds and little rain, he said.
All fire permits for the area are suspended. Cultural cooking fires, including hāngī and umu, may still be allowed if they meet the conditions set out on the checkitsalright website and the weather is favourable.
But Henwood said people should follow the forecast carefully and light cultural cooking fires in calm conditions.
“Winds over 15km/h make it much more likely that a fire will escape,” he said.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.
