Whanganui weather: Pleasant weekend ahead after stormy midweek

Whanganui is expected to have a bit of sunshine heading into the Christmas festivities this weekend after a wild midweek. Photo / Erin Smith

Whanganui can look forward to some welcome sunshine and clear weather just in time for this weekend’s festive activities.

“We’ve had a very active last few days, but the coming days should be a lot more quiet,” MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said.

Midweek in Whanganui brought heavy rain and stormy weather, with the touchdown of a tornado at Dudding Lake in Rangitīkei destroying a resident’s caravan home.

“We get quite a good breather for the weekend,” Makgabutlane said.

Westerly and southwesterly winds will remain into Friday morning with partly cloudy skies. The winds are expected to ease during the day, giving way to clear skies.

“The afternoon should brighten up quite nicely.”

Saturday is expected to have similar conditions to Friday’s, with westerly and northwesterly winds causing some clouds to linger, but turning to sunshine in the afternoon – in time for the beginning of this weekend’s holiday festivities.

Carols by Candlelight is on at the Virginia Lake Punchbowl on Saturday from 7pm.

The carols will be able to be enjoyed under clear skies and settled conditions.

“Sunday we could have a little bit more cloud,” Makgabutlane said.

The Mainstreet Whanganui ​Christmas Parade 2025 is on from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday.

The morning is expected to have the most cloud cover that will linger through the day, and with potential to break up into the afternoon around coastal areas.

The parade will probably occur under overcast skies with a chance of the sun peeking through at times.

Daytime highs are expected to be 22C on Friday, 24C on Saturday and 25C on Sunday.

Overnight lows of 15C on Friday, 14C on Saturday and 15C on Sunday are forecast.

“There should be some good periods of sunshine this weekend,” Makgabutlane said.

Erin Smith is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.