Warmer weekend ahead

Tauranga is set for a brief reprieve from the recent chilly weather, with a mix of warm temperatures and rain forecast this weekend. But keep those winter warmers close by.

After a cool week, Metservice forecasts weekend temperatures to pick up, with the Western Bay in line for highs of up to 22 degrees.


New Zealand is set to experience a broad range of conditions over the comig days. Photo: MetService.

Earlier this week, temperatures dipped to as low as six degrees in the city.

However, the fine dry weather is likely to be interrupted by periods of rain moving across the country.

'It's pretty common this time of year to see a series of fronts coming up from the south,” says MetService meteorologist Rebekah LaBar, 'but the southerlies don't typically last long and winter isn't ready to set in just yet.

'Temperatures are already on the rebound after the recent cold snap, and most of the country will see highs at least in the mid-teens this weekend, with a few places in the North Island expected to exceed 20C.”

The North Island is under a weak ridge today and will see mainly fine conditions aside from a few showers in the west.

Further south, a trough of low pressure approaches the country from the south-west and a frontal system will work its way up the South Island on Friday afternoon, bringing rain to the west coast and patchy showers east of the Southern Alps.

Tonight into Saturday, the trough and associated fronts will move over the North Island, while a narrow ridge of high pressure starts to build back over the South Island.

This will result in a mainly fine day for central and southern parts of the South Island. After a wet start to the day over the North Island, rain is forecast to taper off in most places in the evening.

However, there is a possibility of a few evening showers lingering over the North Island's eastern areas.

Sunday is looking fine, with showers over eastern parts of the North Island clearing during the morning.

Looking ahead to the start of the working week, and school returning, things are looking 'bitterly” cold with a cold polar outbreak originating from the Antarctic ice sheet forecast for Monday and Tuesday.

Unseasonably cold temperatures, strong winds and snow to low levels are expected over the South Island, where this event is likely to have a high impact.

Livestock could be affected and it will probably have an effect on higher roads where significant snow accumulations may make driving conditions difficult and could lead to closures.

The coldest air is expected to make its way north to the North Island on Tuesday, bringing strong winds and unusually low temperatures.


Tauranga is set for a mixture of sunshine and rain this weekend. Photo: MetService.

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