MetService National Weather: July 31st - August 2nd
Temperatures across the country will stay fine and settled through to early next week, thanks to a blanket of cloud locked above the country.
New Zealand is sandwiched between a high pressure system, sitting east of the Chatham Islands, and a low system, sitting to the north-west of New Zealandin the Tasman Sea.
"In one word, the whole country is looking very cloudy from Saturday through to Tuesday at least," Metservice meteorologist Tui McInnes said.
But don't fear - it's not the gloomy winter clouds we've seen accompany the dramatic weather of late.
"It's more like a big sheet over your head than the low grey clouds," McInnes said.
Unusually, temperatures across the country will all sit in the low-to-mid teens, with only a narrow spread of difference between the North and South Island, McInnes said.
And unseasonably, the mercury won't creep down to shivering low temperatures overnight until the high system dissipates.
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) July 30, 2020
Set to clear mid-next week, cloud is the constant factor in the immediate forecast, but a few weather watches are in force for the remainder of the weekend.
A heavy rain watch is in palace for Westland, south of Fox Glacier and Fiordland, north of Milford Sound until Sunday, with rainfall that may approach warning criteria.
Around the Otago Lakes headwaters and rivers is set for a drenching, with heavy rainfall expected in the area through to Sunday night and a heavy rain watch in place.
Set to clear mid-next week, cloud is the constant factor in the immediate forecast. Photo / MajicWeather
And while Auckland's dam levels have risen from their desperately low numbers, more rainfall wouldn't be unwelcome.
Watercare stats show dam levels currently sit at 59.52 per cent of its total capacity, still well below the historical average of 88.40 per cent for this time last year.
Metservice short forecast
Northland
Occasional showers, turning to rain tomorrow with heavy falls possible north of Bay of Islands in the evening.
Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay
Mostly cloudy with a few showers.
The remainder of the North Island, that's Waitomo and Taupō to Wellington, including Wairarapa
