This week is a friendly reminder more than half of New Zealand lies in the Roaring Forties, the belt of windy changeable weather that circles around the Southern Ocean.  With two storms in the Southern Ocean both influencing our weather it’s helping make windy nor’westers and above normal temperatures coupled with colder sou’westers and below average temperatures.

Monday was colder than normal for many in Southland, Otago and the West Coast. Today is milder and in fact warmer than average. But by Thursday, another cold snap is moving in bringing below normal temperatures for late January.

Don’t worry – summer isn’t over and next week looks consistently warmer for most places.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz