Rain and shower forecast for much of New Zealand to welcome in the new year

It looks like rain and showers will hit much of New Zealand as the new year rolls around, with Auckland and Wellington being the only major hubs forecast to have a sunny start to the new year.

Auckland looks like the place to be for the next week, with a mostly sunny weather forecast from Boxing Day through January 2 and temperatures reaching 24 degrees Celsius, according to MetService.

The capital is also poised for reasonably pleasant weather, but not before a cold snap hits the city on December 26 and Sunday, with forecasts for rain and southerly winds and highs dropping to just 13 ° C.

Sunny weather is forecast from Monday afternoon to January 3, although temperatures are not expected to exceed 19 ° C.

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Fortunately for cricket fans, good weather is forecast in Tauranga for the Boxing Day test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Bay Oval, plus some rain on Sunday.

However, rain is forecast for New Years Day and January 2. Rains are also forecast for January 1-2 in Hamilton, with mostly good weather so far.

Cold waves are also forecast to hit Christchurch and Dunedin on Boxing Day and Sunday, with rain and cold winds bringing temperatures down to between 5C and 13C.

Good weather is forecast in Christchurch starting Monday, with some rain on New Years Day, while Dunedin can expect rain on Wednesday and New Years Day.

The weather is expected to clear for the Rhythm and Vines music festival in Gisborne on December 29-31, following rains for the previous three days. Rains are forecast for New Year’s Day.

Rain is also forecast for Queenstown and Wanaka on New Years Eve and New Years Day.

The weather on Christmas Day turned out to be a mixed bag, with the northern and central parts of the country basking in the sun while those further south faced cooler conditions.

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said on Friday that most of the North Island would have a cloudy start but a good afternoon.

The weather was forecast to be sunny and “as usual” in Northland, Makgabutlane said. Bay of Plenty was to be the warmest place in the country, and Whakatāne predicted it would reach 26 ° C.

Auckland was forecast to hit 21 ° C, while Wellington enjoyed a calm day at 19 ° C.

The eastern parts of the South Island should see some clouds and mild temperatures.

There was also the possibility of thunderstorms in southern Canterbury and the Otago region.

The coolest places on the South Island were Ashburton and Ōamaru, with highs of 15 ° C.

Southland should have reached 15 ° C but with more sun than the previous days.

St. Stephen’s Day

A low pressure system means more humidity and more cloudiness is scheduled for Boxing Day.

This will start in the east of the country before gradually affecting the rest of Aotearoa.

However, Northland and Auckland can escape most of that climate.

Makgabutlane said the center of the North Island to Southland will see rain and squalls.

The eastern South Island, the coast of Kaikōura, the Canterbury Plains, Christchurch to Otago and the center of the High Country, will experience a southwest wind and fresh air.

Ashburton will be one of the coolest areas with a maximum temperature of 13 ° C.

It wasn’t much better for Christchurch and Dunedin, which would hit 14C and 13C respectively, Makgabutlane said.

From the latter part of Boxing Day until Sunday morning, the Canterbury High Country could experience a snowfall of around 1000m.