Weather: Cold temperatures and rain on way for NZ

By RNZ

Single digits can be expected for much of the country this week, and rain is on the way as well.

MetService said a broad ridge of high pressure will affect Aotearoa early this week.

It would see settled weather but cold temperatures overnight - with single digits for much of the country all week.

Meteorologist Dom Barry said: “Unfortunately this ridge is ‘dirty’ and is bringing showers to northern, western and southern areas today and tomorrow. It will be disrupted by a low pressure system and its associated fronts, which approach from the west, bringing wet weather as we head into Wednesday.”

The South Island will see rain from Wednesday and it will be move up the country to the North Island from Thursday.

“This is a double-whammy feature with rain bands coming from the south and the west, combining, so we are expecting just about everyone to see some form of rainfall in the period from Wednesday to Friday,” Barry said.

The country is not expected to see temperatures above the mid-teens this week - with some places expecting frosty sub-zero mornings.

But the rain is not expected to last too long.

“This rain system has another ridge behind it, so it appears to be fast moving,” Barry said.

“Much of the rainfall should be gone by the end of the working week, although some precipitation will linger about southern and eastern Te Ika-a-Māui/North Island.”

MetService currently has one severe weather warning in place until 7pm.

It is a snowfall warning, affecting Milford Rd in the South Island.

“Light snow showers are forecast to affect the road near the summit this afternoon and early evening, and up to 1cm of snow may settle on the road.”