Tuesday’s rain was welcome relief to many farmers across the country as the wet stuff fell, in some places, for much of the day.  Summer started off early and fiercely in some areas with temperatures reaching into the 30s several times since the start of November, but in the past week or so there appears to be growth in rain bearing fronts according to head weather analyst Philip Duncan.

“On Friday we’re likely to see another frontal system move over western and central parts of New Zealand…there may well be another front and low moving over New Zealand next week too.  I said it last week and I stand by it – this Summer, despite some very dry areas, is quite different to last years set up.  Rain is looking more likely”.

Mr Duncan says he’s fielding a lot of questions already about Christmas Day.  “All I can say at this early stage is that we’re not stuck in a strong weather pattern of any type, which makes it harder to predict.  That might sound like political talk but I can honestly say it could go either way this year.  The east is most likely to be dry though”.  

He points to recent changes that have shown highs and lows mixing it up frequently over the past couple of weeks.  “One thing I am pretty sure of is that it should be warm on December 25th.  Even the southerlies are producing relatively high temperatures, especially in places like Auckland”.  Last Sunday Auckland reached 25 with a light southerly.

The Weather Watch Centre will issue it’s first Christmas Day forecast next Monday.  “Obviously forecasts so far in advance aren’t totally accurate but the public are invited to watch as we fine tune the forecast as our computer models become more and more confident heading towards December 25th”.

What’s your Xmas Day prediction?  Post a comment below!