September storm: spring turns to winter in New Zealand as wild weather looms

The Deep South is heading toward deep freezing, and temperatures in Invercargill and other parts of Southland are expected to sit below freezing for up to 50 hours, WeatherWatch says.

A severe winter storm is expected to begin arriving over the country starting tonight, with heavy rains and strong winds on the west coast of the South Island, while snow is forecast in the southern part of the island, up to sea ​​level in some places, like Invercargill. – starting tomorrow night.

The MetService has issued heavy snow alerts for Clutha, Central Otago south of Alexandra, Southland, Fiordland and Stewart Island.

Southland and Otago will bear the brunt of the colder polar air. RuralWeather.co.nz’s wind chill forecaster for Invercargill and other parts of Southland shows it can feel below freezing for 50 hours until it subsides on Wednesday, WeatherWatch says.

“The daytime highs, not just the wind chill, are also miserable. After a mild Saturday, Invercargill has a high of 4 ° C on Tuesday with snow and flurries of rain / sleet.

“Gore has snow on Tuesday and a high of just 2 ° C, while Lumsden is expected to only hit 1 ° C at the hottest point of the day with a -7 ° C wind chill earlier in the day.

Flurries are expected in Queenstown on Monday and Tuesday, with daytime highs of 2 ° C to 3 ° C and nighttime lows of -4 ° C. There may be flurries in Dunedin overnight on Monday, with a high temperature of 3 ° C and a wind temperature of -4 ° C at the hottest point of the day on Tuesday, says WeatherWatch.

Temperatures will drop in Canterbury, but the Southland and Otago ranges, along with the Southern Alps, would protect the region’s plains from colder temperatures.

On the North Island, the Central Plateau, including Ohakune, National Park and Waiouru, it can snow, Desert Rd is likely to be affected by snow especially on Tuesday, and the Napier-Taupō highway may have a layer of snow on its top. .

Earlier today, residents of Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay were the last to receive a severe weather warning from MetService, ahead of tomorrow’s “weather bomb” forecast.

MetService issued a strong wind warning for the Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay area, north of Hastings. The warning is for tomorrow between 3 a.m. M. And 2 p.m. M.

Gales from north to northwest are forecast to be severe at times, with gusts of 120 km / h.

“Strong wind gusts could damage trees, power lines, and unsafe structures. Driving can be dangerous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.”

The alert is among a series of warnings and alerts issued by the national weather service ahead of what MetService calls a unique storm in a decade that has been brewing in the Tasman Sea.

Apart from small parts of the Horowhenua, Manawatū and Whanganui districts, the entire country is under surveillance or warning. The most severe weather is expected on the South Island and parts of the lower, central and eastern North Island as the complex low-pressure system moves east.

A forecast of heavy rain on the west coast tonight could cause flooding, and heavy rain warnings are also in effect for Mount Taranaki, the Tararua Ranges and the headwaters of Canterbury tomorrow morning.

Wind advisories were issued for southern Taranaki, inland Whanganui and Taihape, Wellington, Wairarapa and Marlborough tomorrow.

Hurricane force winds are expected in Buller, Westland and the Canterbury Highlands starting tonight.

“Coastal flooding could become a problem due to the combination of low air pressure (below 985hPa), large waves and swollen rivers,” MetService wrote on its website about Buller and Westland.

MetService forecaster Cameron Coutts said the storms will last into the middle of the week, slowing the start of school holidays.

“Most of the country will be affected by this configuration. It is such a widespread event. Usually we will have tropical cyclones coming out of the Pacific and [they] it can also result in some warnings. But for this one, the whole country is involved. “

The conditions described as a “weather bomb” by WeatherWatch are comparable to a storm in November 2018, when roads were closed on the West Coast due to flooding.

MetService has published a graph detailing exactly how bad the weather forecast will be.

The average forecast models for tomorrow appear to be one of the worst storms since at least 2014.

Part of the reason for the weekend’s storm is a deepening descent over the Southern Ocean that will grow so large that it will bring high winds, snow and freezing subzero winds to parts of the lower South Island.

The gales can extend as far north as the city of Auckland.

“It starts on the South Island tonight with wind and rain and then works its way to the North Island during the early hours of Sunday,” Coutts said.

“The snow comes in from Sunday morning through Monday morning and goes down to sea level in Southland. It is the lowest snow we have forecast this winter.”

The national forecast this weekend looked as bad as a major storm in May 2014, when 4,500 homes were without power and massive amounts of snow fell in Queenstown.

Auckland residents are enjoying a warm, sunny day today before the wild weather tomorrow, with stable conditions and a maximum forecast of 21 ° C.

There will be some showers and north winds from late in the morning and the rain will develop tonight.

For tomorrow, strong north winds are expected with periods of heavy rain and a maximum of 19 ° C.

Rain is expected to continue in the City of Candles through Wednesday.