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The sun is making a much-awaited appearance as clean-up efforts begin after severe weather.
Auckland is set for a five-day stint of sunny weather, contrasting April’s wet conditions.
Colder nights with potential frost and fog are expected in central and southern areas.
The sun is making a much-awaited appearance as clean-up efforts begin after a stormy few days, with one region set to have a five-day stint of sun.
After days of severe flooding, thunderstorms and fierce winds, with several areas plunged into states of emergency, Aotearoa can take a sigh of relief.
The “really nice easing trend” Kiwis saw today is set to continue and people should expect “things to get a lot sunnier with some colder nights”, MetService said.
MetService meteorologist Katie Hillyer told the Herald: “We’ve got a lot of sunny spots at the moment, but we have got some cloud around eastern parts of the North Island and far south of the South Island.
“There will be a few showers this evening, but nothing that will really dampen any clean-up efforts by any of the crews [in Canterbury].”
She said most of the showers sit further inland, so people in the plains and Christchurch will only be affected briefly.
A slip in Cressy Tce, Lyttelton, where the home owners were evacuated on Thursday, May 1. Photo / George Heard
Is sun in store for Wellington too?
Wellington residents were told to seek shelter this week after MetService put out a rare wind warning, saying people faced a threat to life from “destructive” weather.
It was the first time Wellington had received a red warning since the colour-coded system was introduced in 2019.
Hillyer said: “Wellington is a very similar vein to Christchurch.”
She said Wellington residents should expect to see some cloud and showers overnight.
“They’ll probably last till around early to mid-morning and then gradually clear into a fine afternoon.”
Hillyer said the showers might be “a little bit annoying” for people, but won’t be anything like what we was experienced this week.
Auckland has drawn the lucky straw - five-day stint of sun
Hillyer said April was one of Auckland’s wettest, which would have felt like a stark contrast, considering it had an “extremely dry summer.”
She said Auckland should expect “quite the yo-yo effect”.
“The next four, maybe even five days, are set to be very lovely and sunny for Auckland,” Hillyer said.
Auckland is sheltered from a lot of the things Christchurch, Wellington and the East Coast are getting, “so Auckland is just set to be, quite, quite lovely for the next couple of days”.
Aucklanders were under severe thunderstorm warnings last month after being hit by the wrath of Cyclone Tam, which left thousands without power and safe homes amid devastating floods.
Colder nights are on the way
Hillyer said some central areas of the North Island and quite a few places in the South Island will feel the bite in the air during the next few mornings, particularly on Monday.
“With this oncoming high pressure and clearer skies, we have the potential for some colder nights and some frost, maybe some areas of fog, in quite sheltered places,” Hillyer said.
She said for much of the country, it will feel like “your classic autumn day”.
“You wake up and it’s quite chill in the morning, but since we have got the sun there, it’ll feel lovely and warm.”
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