Whanganui records huge 24-hour rainfall but conditions are expected to improve for Labour Weekend

Over 40mm of rain fell in Whanganui between Tuesday and Wednesday. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui had an especially wet 24 hours, with substantial amounts of rain falling across the region.

However, this was not expected to continue as a fine break was forecast to arrive just in time for the long weekend ahead.

MetService Meteorologist John Law said a weather station at Whanganui Airport recorded 44mm of rain over 24 hours between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, an amount he described as “fairly substantial”.

Other weather stations recorded similarly high amounts of rain such as 38mm at Flat Hill.

“Some spots saw as much as 30-40mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours,” Law said.

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There was a particularly intense downpour around 3am to 4am Wednesday morning when around 9-10mm fell over an hour.

The soggy conditions were caused by a low-pressure front moving over the Central North Island, after previously lingering over the South Island.

“It stretched from Taranaki all the way across from Hawke’s Bay, sadly that means that Whanganui was right beneath it.

“It was a very slow-moving feature which caused a fair amount of wet weather overnight,” Law said.

Intermittent showers were still expected across Wednesday, but they were expected to begin to clear as the front which caused the rain began to break up and peter out.

“We will still find some showers today [Wednesday] but it is an improving story, so for Wednesday and for Thursday things are looking much better for you,” Law said.

The improving trend would continue through Thursday, which would still experience some clouds, but in general, would be a brighter and drier day.

This would lead to a fine stretch of days for Friday and the Labour Day long weekend, as the region would be sheltered from further rain.

“I think you’re in one of the better spots, I would say, Whanganui looks like a great place to be to spend the Labour Day weekend.”

Temperature-wise it was looking good for the region too, with highs of around 20C expected throughout the coming days.

Overnight temperatures were expected to be a little chillier than usual for the time of the year, with overnight lows of around 8 and 9C rather than the usual 10 and 11C.

Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.