In today’s headlines, desperate Ōtara patients queue in the cold for hours, housing market heats up and coffee costs spark debate.
Forecasters say there is a chance more fog could blanket Auckland and Hamilton on Tuesday after Auckland Airport was forced to put flight restrictions in place this morning.
MetService meteorologist Fulong Lu told the Herald that from midnight to 7am on Tuesday there was a 30% chance of fog predicted by the Auckland International Airport weather station.
The risk would stretch across the rest of the city, he said.
Lu said the risk was higher for Hamilton Airport, where clearer skies and lighter winds were forecast.
By midday the fog had lifted, allowing the airport to resume normal functions.
Fog also affected Hamilton and other areas of the Waikato as well as Taumarunui and Te Kūiti.
MetService earlier had forecast areas of morning low cloud and fog for Auckland, followed by the odd afternoon shower.
The temperature was just under 11C in Auckland early today but reached a high of 19C.
Almost 100,000 lightning strikes recorded over weekend
This morning’s fog came after severe thunderstorms wreaked havoc over much of the country at the weekend.
“Around 93,400 lightning strikes were recorded from midnight on Friday to 6am on Monday, with around a quarter of those occurring over land. Rain intensities peaked at 15mm/h for most affected regions, with some areas seeing 20 to 25mm/h,” said MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker.
“However, once the majority of the thunderstorms cleared on Sunday morning the weather improved significantly for much of the country, with temperatures reaching the high teens to low twenties in both main islands.”
🌧️💨New week, new weather system
Wet and windy weather make a return from Monday evening into Tuesday as a weather system arrives from the west
New Watches and Warnings have been issued for Heavy Rain and Strong Winds🟠🟡
Bakker said the unsettled weather was set to continue to start the new week, with strong northwesterly winds expected about central and southern parts of the country and fronts bringing a burst of heavy rain to many western areas.
“We advise people to keep up to date with the latest forecasts, as spring weather is notoriously changeable.
“Thunderstorms are also possible for parts of the South Island, and also coastal Taranaki to northern Wellington on Tuesday,” Bakker said.
There would also be a notable change in temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday, especially in eastern areas.
Northwest winds will help make for a couple of unseasonably warm 🌡️ days for the country, especially the east of both islands.
However, warmth will be replaced with much cooler air 📉 for the South Island tomorrow (Tuesday) as winds go southwest. pic.twitter.com/n8uzbwJKG7
“Looking further ahead, a ridge over the Tasman Sea starts to extend over New Zealand on Wednesday, driving away most of the poor weather and lowering overnight temperatures. Frosts will be possible in parts of the South Island and inland North Island, along with snow for higher passes.
