Your web browser (Internet Explorer) is out of date. Some things will not look right and things might not work properly. Please download an up-to-date and free browser from here.

Friday’s national forecast

A southwesterly airflow lies over the country today, showers affect most of the North Island while in the South Island conditions clear up in the morning. Another front moves onto the far south of the South Island afternoon and evening bringing a few further showers.

Auckland & Northland
Showers, occasionally heavy with northwesterly winds. A few sunny spells possible. Coastal eastern areas of Northland may remain mainly dry during the day.
Highs: 18-20

Bay Of Plenty, Waikato & Central North Island

Heavy showers at first west of Lake Taupo and about western parts of the
Waikato ease in the morning, showers for all becoming few and far between in the
evening. Light northwesterlies tend southerly overnight.
Highs: 14-17

Eastern North Island

Showers about Wairarapa, sunny spells further north. Showers move into
Hawkes Bay and Gisborne late afternoon or evening as winds tend southwest.
Showers clear most areas overnight.
Highs: 18-19

Taranaki

Heavy showers with possibly thunderstorms easing in the morning, showers
clear in the evening as northwesterlies tend southerly later in the day.
Highs: 16

Western North Island

The odd shower, clearing in the afternoon with light winds gradually
tending southerly. Sunny spells increase from midday.
Highs: 16

Wellington

Morning showers clear then sunny spells increase from midday, cool
southerlies die out in the evening.
High: 12

Marlborough & Nelson

Early morning showers clear then a mostly sunny afternoon develops,
southerly winds die out in the evening.
Highs: 14-16

Canterbury

A few early showers clearing then cloud breaking to a mostly sunny
afternoon, southwesterlies die out by evening. Overnight winds tend southwest
with some further cloud possible, mainly near the coast.
Highs: 11-12

West Coast

Sunny about South Westland, any early showers clearing North Westland then
sunny conditions develop. Southerly winds.
High: 14

Coastal Otago

Sunny spells with westerlies freshening, later in the evening winds change
southwest with a few showers.
High: 12

Central Otago

Sunny spells with light southwesterlies, areas of cloud thicker morning and
night.
High: 12

Southland

A few morning sunny spells possible with westerly winds, a southwest change
around midday brings the odd shower which clears in the evening.
High: 11

By Weather Analyst Aaron Wilkinson – WeatherWatch.co.nz

Comments

Derek on 9/05/2014 1:05am

Hi WW, I am a bit confused with today’s forecast so am hoping you can put me right.

In your heading you say a SouthWesterly air flow lies over the country which I assume is all of NZ but in the Northland Auckland forecast you say we will have Northwesterly winds. 

Can you please tell me why this is and what the difference is here?

Thank you for any response.

WW Forecast Team on 9/05/2014 1:20am

Hi there

The overall general flow is yes a southwesterly. But sitting off the west coast of the North Island is a low pressure system directing a more west to northwest airflow over the upper North Island, it would have been more prudent for me to mention this in the outline above so thankyou for mentioning this. Often it becomes complex to mention every detail in that outline, mostly we are just looking at the overall picture in that part of the forecast.

But yes, geneally the weather over the country is coming from the southwest. There will often be different winds for various regions in different overall flows.

In Canterbury in a northwest airflow we often get a northeasterly in Christchurch for example.

Thanks for writing in.

WW

Derek on 9/05/2014 2:16am

Thank you for your response, I did think that something like that was the reason and can understand why you did not mention it. Thank you.

Related Articles