Kiwis kicking off their school holidays today should brace for a turbulent week of spring weather, with a mix of rain, wind and even snow forecast to sweep across the country.
A series of active weather systems were expected to move across New Zealand over the next several days, driven by warm seas and cold air surging from Antarctica.
‘Lots of ups and downs’ as school holidays begin – watch on TVNZ+
A red warning for severe northwest gales in parts of inland Canterbury was lifted yesterday, but MetService said some watches and warnings remained in place for the central parts of New Zealand into today and Tuesday.
MetService said heavy rain and gales were forecast for: Taranaki Maunga, Tasman northwest of Motueka, Buller about the Spencer Mountains and St Arnaud Range, Richmond and Bryant ranges, the Rai Valley, Wellington, Wairarapa south of Greytown and the Marlborough Sounds, Marlborough excluding the Sounds, Tararua Range and Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound.
A heavy rain watch was also issued ahead of the next weather feature arriving in Fiordland today.
These opposing forces are colliding to create what 1News weather presenter Dan Corbett called “weather systems with some oomph”.
“There’s going to be a fair bit of weather over the next several days,” he said. “Unfortunately, that fine weather will be shoehorned in between a lot of ups and downs typical for spring.”
The first half of the week is expected to be dominated by a blocking high and a slow-moving front, bringing rain to the North Island and parts of the South Island.
By midweek, the front will begin to shift, dragging wet weather further north and east. However, some eastern regions may escape the worst of it.
“Drier conditions are expected in places like Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Canterbury and Otago,” Corbett said. “If you’re there, you may not see as many showers.”
But the reprieve is likely to be short-lived. The second half of the week is set to bring a sharp change, as colder air pushes in from the south, lowering snow levels to around 500 metres in parts of the lower South Island.
“You’ll have that raincoat to start with, and then by the end of the week, you’re probably saying, ‘Where are the layers?'”Corbett said
There will be moments of sunshine, but Corbett cautioned these will be fleeting.
“There will be some dry weather,” he said, “but it’s somewhat shoehorned in between a lot of other stuff going on.”
