The sunny but crisp conditions experienced by much of the country this week are set to come to an end as a new system brings potentially severe rain and wind.
MetService’s Heather Keats said: “Hasn’t this week been amazing? How good for the soul has it been?
“We’ve had sunshine, it’s been cold, and we’ve had conditions that have allowed river levels to drop,” she told Breakfast. “It’s just not going to last, unfortunately.”
She said today would be largely the same as the rest of this week, with frost set to
“The high pressure that’s been responsible starts to move on, and we get this complex trough again starting to move over us.”
She said more showers were expected over the weekend, with rain forecast for Sunday in the south-west of the South Island.
This week’s weather was characterised by frost, with some schools in icy areas, such as Dunedin, opening slightly later due to icy roads. This morning, police urged Bay of Plenty drivers to take extra care on the roads after several crashes in the region, with ice creating dangerous conditions.
“Please – slow down, watch your following distance, and use your headlights. We want everyone to get where they’re going safely this morning,” police said.
However, change isn’t far away. Keats said: “We’re going to see a very different temperature this weekend and next week. We’re talking well above average.”
While some regions would still experience frost, others would see significantly warmer temperatures.
On Tuesday night, Auckland is expected to see a low of only 14C and Monday night in Christchurch, which has been dropping below -3C all week, would only fall to a low of 9C.
However, as the temperatures rise and the frosts disappear, the rain will return.
“We’ve got a really large band of rain that’s expected to hit the country by Tuesday,” Keats said.
The rain will affect the entire western side of the country from Milford up to Northland. Keats also said it was looking like more “rough” weather would come in later next week.
She said the rain and wind were “likely” to reach levels that needed watches and warnings.
“Given that places like Marlborough, Nelson, and Tasman are still in recovery mode, this isn’t ideal.”
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MetService was working with councils to prepare and make sure everyone has the relevant information.
“Unfortunately, the calm, cold, and clear conditions are going to turn to wet, windy, and potentially severe.”