Matariki long weekend expected to be mainly cloudy, windy and warm for Whanganui

The weather forecast for Whanganui over the long weekend is mainly mild and cloudy. Photo / Bevan Conley

Matariki in the Whanganui region is forecast to deliver warm, windy and cloudy conditions throughout the long weekend.

MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon said the entire country was currently under a showery west-to-southwest flow, which brought strong winds, especially along the west coast.

“In terms of how that’s affecting Whanganui, obviously you’re one of those places more exposed to those westerlies,” Wotherspoon said.

On Friday winds could slightly pick up from what was recorded on Thursday, before easing off between Saturday and Sunday morning.

A similar pattern would follow for rain in the region, with isolated showers interrupting mainly cloudy conditions for Friday and Saturday.

“Most of the time it’ll be a bit cloudy and you’ll get a few showers in a day,” Wotherspoon said.

However, that would change later on Sunday, with winds and showers expected to pick up in intensity and frequency.

For those looking to observe Matariki or Puanga across the region, she said the best time to do so would be on Saturday morning, as skies were supposed to be a little clearer.

“You’ll probably still get a few showers but there’ll be some fine breaks between as well.”

Temperature-wise, it was expected to be a warm weekend with mild overnight lows of 12C and temperatures as high as 17C on Friday and Saturday, and 18C on Sunday, all well above average for July.

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.