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Stormy weather in early spring is expected to hit the central and southern areas of the country for the next day or two, with a second round likely over the weekend, when more northern areas could also be affected.
MetService warns of strong northwesterly gales, with gusts of 120km / h, for Canterbury High Country from Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, and for Wellington and much of Wairarapa through Wednesday.
At times, strong winds are expected, possibly approaching strong gales, on Tuesday or Wednesday for northern Wairarapa and southern Hawke’s Bay, Marlborough, Otago, Southland, Stewart Island and Fiordland Lakes.
BRADEN FASTIER / Things
Heavy rain or gales are forecast Wednesday or Thursday in many parts of the South Island and some areas of the lower North Island. (file photo)
MetService has also issued period rain advisories on Tuesday or Wednesday for the headwaters of the Otago and Canterbury lakes and rivers, northern Fiordland, Westland, the western Nelson, Buller and Tararua Range ranges. It is also possible that it will rain heavily on Mount Taranaki on Wednesday afternoon and into the evening.
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A high-pressure system is over the top of the North Island and fronts connected to a low-pressure system are moving toward the south-west of the country, MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said Tuesday.
“This afternoon, into the evening, we expect that warm front to start moving towards the western part of the South Island,” Makgabutlane said.
“As the low-pressure system approaches the country, it establishes a narrow pressure gradient. That’s when we start to see those winds start to pick up. “
MetService meteorologist Tom Adams said the high pressure over the upper North Island with strong westerly winds further south was a “classic spring weather pattern.”
“As the trees begin to sprout in spring, there is a risk of branches falling over with possible disruptions to transportation and power lines,” he said.
While northern areas of the country appear poised to avoid stormy weather in the coming days, they could have a rough time Sunday.
MetService said there is a possibility that Northland, Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula and parts of Waikato could see strong northwesterly gales on Sunday, though for now it has only little confidence in that prospect.
John Bisset / Stuff
Snow is forecast for the Southern Alps over the weekend.
It has moderate confidence from severe north-northwest winds at Taranaki, Whanganui, Horowhenua, Kapiti Coast, Wairarapa, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, and Canterbury from Saturday night to Sunday.
The gales would be ahead of a front expected to move east over New Zealand overnight on Saturday and Sunday. The front would bring heavy rain to some western areas and snow to the Southern Alps, MetService said.
A channel would bring a cold southwestern shift to the South Island later Sunday, with snow showers 400 meters in the far south.
As of Thursday, MetService has little confidence in severe storms in exposed parts of Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, and little confidence in heavy rain in the Central Plateau, King Country, Taranaki, Fiordland and southwest Westland.
