Whanganui weather: Fine weather ahead, no cyclone problems

On Tuesday there's a high pressure system starting to set up, which will likely prolong the clear weather, the MetService said. Photo / Bevan Conley

[A_151121WCBRCWea03.JPG] On Tuesday there's a high pressure system starting to set up, which will likely prolong the clear weather, the MetService said. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui enjoyed mostly fine weather over the weekend and that is expected to continue as the region stays clear of a recent cyclone.

Cyclone Cody was expected to pass east of New Zealand on Sunday, but it was likely to strike the Chatham Islands with some heavy wind and rain, according to MetService.

The potential impact of Cody has been significantly downgraded from several days ago when it was feared the storm could brush past or even hit the East Cape.

MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said previous modelling had the cyclone potentially coming down the middle of the North Island, which would have been "catastrophic".

"It would have been a very high impact situation."

A low pressure weather system to the east meant winds in the lower North Island were moving in an east to south-easterly direction, McInnes said.

"That means [Whanganui] benefits from all the ranges that act as cloud traps.

"Keeps things nice and clear and dry."

On Tuesday there's a high pressure system starting to set up, which will likely prolong the clear weather, the meteorologist added.

A front moving up the country in the middle of the week could bring a spot of rain late on Wednesday and early Thursday morning.

"Nothing too major," McInnes said.

"The one thing it will do is drop the temperature a bit."

Once it passes, things will be mostly clear, just a bit cooler towards the weekend, he added.

McInnes said ash from the massive eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcano in Tonga was not likely to reach New Zealand.

MetService acts as a volcanic ash advisory centre, mostly for the aviation sector, McInnes said.

As the Tongan volcano was in the tropics where winds were a lot weaker, it meant ash was unlikely to cause problems here, he said.