Climate shock: strong gales, rain and snow to hit New Zealand

New Zealand’s summer will be cut short with strong gales, rain and snow, as two storms in the Southern Ocean approach the country.

The first storm passes on Sunday, followed by a second larger storm that moves on Wednesday, says WeatherWatch.

The storms will make an incredibly cold turn for the summer with daytime highs unlikely to reach double digits in some places.

New Zealand’s location on land means we sometimes have a sudden and dramatic change in cold in summer, but WeatherWatch said this one is more powerful than most and comes with strong gales.

Snow flurries will begin in the Southern Alps tonight and tomorrow, probably with heavier snow with the shift south mid-week.

While the entire country will cool down, the top of the nation will be less exposed, said lead forecaster Philip Duncan.

“Auckland will drop to maybe 19 ° C as a daytime high on Wednesday, but it will be the westerly winds that could be most noticeable with at least three or four days of wind in a row on the road with hurricane gusts at times,” he said.

Wind chill will drop to zero in the North Southland and other inland areas. Dunedin will feel like 6 ° C at noon on Wednesday with an air temperature of about 10 ° C or 11 ° C.

In Fiordland National Park there will be a true winter change. RuralWeather.co.nz said Milford Sound’s daytime high is currently just 5 ° C on Wednesday as this main area reaches south. The wind chill factor will make it feel like 1 ° C at noon.

“Homeless, campers and hikers in these areas will need winter gear and be prepared for snow storms higher up the ranges,” Duncan said.

A more stormy-than-usual Southern Ocean since spring 2020 is the driver of this much colder-than-usual shift for parts of New Zealand, Duncan said.

Starting Sunday, Wellington has four days of potential hurricane force winds and the regions up to Taranaki will also experience high winds to hurricanes as air is channeled through the Cook Strait area. Electrical storms are also possible in the west of both islands.

Canterbury will be partially protected from these systems with temperatures that will not drop below adolescence in Christchurch.

Waves of more than 40 feet are expected to crash on the lower half of the South Island’s west coast mid-week and large waves will sweep across the west and south of both main islands.