“Particularly as it rains over the Southern Alps, the air dries out of it and it actually warms out of it and over to places like Dunedin right on the other side of the Southern Alps.”
Places like Dunedin were sitting on 16C at 6am – a city that usually sees 11.8C highs.
Lynden said that although the temperatures might be a welcome respite from the winter chill, sunny weather would not follow, with many places already seeing 100mm of rain overnight.
“We’re expecting large amounts of precipitation to accumulate in many areas [in the South Island].
“At the moment, there are a few places like Milford Sound, they’ve picked up 150.2mm so far.
“Mount Burn, they’re at 92mm. Arthur’s Pass, they’re at 92mm. So, you know, creeping up to some pretty high numbers, for many of those areas.”
A slip has come down on the West Coast, blocking SH6 between Haast and Makarora. There is no detour.
120km/h winds were recorded overnight near Mt Hutt, and 250km/h winds were recorded in the Canterbury High Country.
Winds close to 100km/h are battering Wellington this morning.
Lynden called the weather system “interesting” given its slow-moving nature.
He said today it would move eastward across the country and by this evening it would be largely centred around the top of the South Island before it travels farther up overnight.
“But as it kind of hooks past the North Island and then gets sucked back down and hits the South Island again through Saturday.”
A heavy rain warning is in place for the Tasman District northwest of Motueka for the next 33 hours, with 200 to 300mm of rain about the ranges, possibly more in localised areas.
36 hours of rain is expected to slam Nelson from this morning, with MetService warning residents to expect around 200mm of rain.
Heavy rain watches have been issued for Taranaki, the Marlborough Sounds and the ranges of the Grey District.
Strong wind watches have been issued for Marlborough Sounds and Wellington.
Looking ahead to the first week of the school holidays, Lynden said a ridge of high pressure was building over the country, which would bring some fine, clear spells – perfect for getting the kids outside.
