Weather: Wild weather en route to New Zealand from Australia

A weather system that wiped out parts of south-eastern Australia with winter conditions this week is heading to New Zealand.

The system dragged Melbourne temperatures on Friday to 13 ° C, just above May’s record high of 12.2 ° C, dumped snow early on Victorian ski fields and triggered hurricane force winds that launched a mobile phone antenna into a supermarket from Adelaide.

Here, it is expected to bring rain, wind, and thunderstorms.

The system was being generated by a large and complex channel, with an active front ahead, MetService meteorologist Andy Best said.

The front already carried showers to Auckland on Saturday night, where the dams that supply the city’s water were less than half earlier this week, and where steps are already being taken to save water.

“That front is slowing down, by noon tomorrow the front is still a little west of Taranaki.”

That meant falls scattered across much of the North Island except in the east, and which would be more persistent north of Taupō. Thunderstorms were possible in Taranaki.

While much of the south east island would be fine on Sunday, it would be very humid on the south and upper west islands, with strong rain warnings in Buller Ranges and Nelson overnight at 8 am, and through Sunday in Westland Range and Fiordland.

There was also a strong wind warning for Canterbury High Country until 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Heavy rains were also observed for Northland and parts of the north central island, and strong winds for Taranaki, Taihape, the mountainous Whanganui region, parts of lower North Island and Marlborough on Sunday. There are no snow warnings.

The gloomy conditions will continue for many on Monday, with heavy rains and possible thunderstorms in the north of the North Island, and showers and rains in the west of the South Island, Best said.

The rain would continue on Tuesday, before relaxing on the North Island later in the day. The rain would develop in the eastern parts of the South Island, with rains elsewhere.

Tuesday was also expected to be cold in some areas, with frosts in places like Alexandra, where the temperature would drop to a low of 0C on Tuesday, Best said.

Even Auckland would be relatively energetic. Although the city could still expect highs of 21 ° C on Sunday and Monday, the temperature would drop to 17 ° C on Tuesday, with a low of 9 ° C overnight.