Wild week of weather ahead as tropical low brings rain, 100 km/h gales to north

The first weather alert has been issued as a wild tropical storm edges closer to New Zealand, threatening to bring severe 100km/h gales and heavy rain.

A tropical low, which is currently off the Queensland coast, is expected to lie at the top of the country tomorrow, bringing southeast gales and heavy rain to the north.

A strong wind watch is in place from 1pm to 10pm for the Far North District, with severe 100km/h gales expected in exposed places.

Civil Defence Northland is advising people to take extra care on the roads and be prepared for potential power outages caused by strong winds.

Heading into Thursday, MetService said this system would sink south and reach Auckland.

Simultaneously, another front would move on to Fiordland from the Tasman Sea, bringing wild northwesterlies and a drenching of heavy rain.

MetService meteorologist Gerard Bellam told the Herald much of the country is in for an unsettled week, with no relief until the weekend.

“We’ve got periods of rain basically from Wednesday right through Friday ... the first dry day is really Sunday,” Bellam said.

“There’s a pincer action going on there.

“You get that weather in the north and then the more common variety sort of front coming across from the South Tasman on to the South Island,” he said.

Bellam said the first weather alert in the Far North was triggered, with other alerts likely to be issued later in the week.

“We have got a high-pressure system over central New Zealand, and so, between that and the low that comes down, it’ll squeeze those isobars fairly tight over northern parts of the country.

“That has triggered a severe weather wind watch,” he said.

At this stage, MetService said there was moderate confidence that warning amounts of rain would fall in Fiordland and a low confidence in Northland, northern Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula.

A fresh weather alert has been issued as a wild tropical storm edges closer to New Zealand, threatening to bring severe 100km/h gales and a dose of heavy rain. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

“With that front coming across from the Tasman, we are seeing temperatures spike up in that warm northwesterly flow,” Bellam said.

He said temperatures are forecast in the mid-20s for the east of the South Island on Thursday and even expected to peak at 26C in Kaikōura on Friday.

Bellam said the tropical air was expected to bring overnight temperatures of 21C for Northland on Friday, 19C for Auckland and 20C for Whitianga.

On Friday, MetService said the remnants of the low and the associated front were expected to move across the northern half of the North Island.

The front over Fiordland was forecast to move northeast over the remainder of the South Island.

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.