No weather warnings had yet been put in place for Whanganui.
“It’s not something we are overly concerned about at the moment, but we do have a moderate risk of thunderstorms.”
Tuesday night’s showery conditions would also bring a blast of cooler temperatures.
“For Whanganui things will cool down a bit with that passage coming through tomorrow night.”
Wednesday would have more settled weather and potentially clear skies.
The cooler air mass and clear skies would bring lower temperatures.
“Compared to the nights we’ve had recently, it will be a little bit cooler,” Hillyer said.
On Wednesday an overnight low of 6C was expected.
Hillyer said this was cooler but not out of the ordinary for this time of year.
The weather this week was not good news for Mt Ruapehu’s snow or for skiers and snowboarders eager to enjoy some deep snow.
“There’ll be a couple of snow showers and flurries but nothing that will top up the mountain for what people want for good skiing conditions.”
The system on its way ahead of the weekend would bring air from the northwest which meant a warmer air mass and higher freezing levels which was “usually not great for producing snow”.
“To me at the moment it doesn’t look like a huge snow-maker.”
There was a chance of frost on Thursday morning due to the light winds and clear skies but it was not likely to be widespread.
A southwesterly flow with an oncoming ridge meant less turbulent weather activity until the end of the week.
“Until Friday we’ll be under the influence of that ridge,” Hillyer said.
“Northwesterlies start forming on Friday ahead of a front.
“It could be a bit strong but unfortunately it’s a little too far out to be sure.”
Showery conditions at the beginning of the week would ease to bring respite from the rain on Wednesday before a more unsettled flow and potential rain emerged for the weekend.
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
