Weekend Forecast 23rd June - 24th June 2012

[JennyLeez]

Short Forecast - Issued by MetService 1:27pm Wednesday 20 Jun 2012

Saturday
North Island, cloud increasing, with rain in many places, but dry north of the Bombay Hills, and in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay. South Island, rain or showers in most places, snow to low levels in the far south.

Sunday
North Island, rain or showers in most places, becoming fine from Wanganui to Wellington. South Island, becoming fine in most places, but still a few showers along the west coast and in the far south.

Weekend outlook by Weather Watch

A cold front will unsettle the weather across the country this weekend, but not all at once.
A large high to our north on Friday will keep the weather fairly settled for the North Island.  The weather across the northern part of the South Island should be dry with a warming northerly breeze kicking in.  Showers that will be associated with the cold front will start to affect the deep south late Friday afternoon.
On Saturday, the front begins to advance north across the South Island.  Wind and rain is expected for the southern and western sections.  North Islanders will stay dry, but will notice an increase in the northerlies.
Saturday night, the front will move onto the North Island and bring a chance for showers.  Much of the precipitation should move off by mid-morning on Sunday.  However, a few showers will still be possible for Taranaki and Wanganui into Sunday afternoon.  Coastal sections of the deep south could also see a bit of shower activity during the day on Sunday.
The rest of the country is looking at a fairly dry day on Sunday.  However, it should still be a bit cooler as the winds turn back to the south.



Weather Zone

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[OhauitiWeather]

It’s almost like being in middle of a parade.  One front after another will march across the country over the next several days.

Each front will bring with it a chance for precipitation.  But there will also be some settled periods between each front.  So, there will be at least a few chances at some settled weather over the weekend and into Monday.

The first front is scheduled to make its way across the country on tomorrow into Saturday.  It will bring rain to the West Coast late tomorrow and to the deep south early Saturday morning.  The rain will then spread north across much of the South Island during the day on Saturday.  The far eastern sections could stay dry during the day on Saturday but rain could move in Saturday night. 

Some heavy rain will be possible for Westland south of Otira during tomorrow afternoon and evening.  Heavy rain will also be possible tomorrow afternoon and evening…and Saturday morning for the headwaters of the Otago Lakes and rivers.  Heavy rain is also possible from tomorrow evening to Saturday evening about the headwaters of the Canterbury lakes and rivers.  Government forecaster MetService has issued Heavy Rain Warnings for these areas.

The front is then likely to spread the rain onto the lower North Island by Saturday evening.  Wellington, Wairarapa, Wanganui and Taranaki could all be getting wet at that time.  Western Waikato could also see some rain before Saturday turns into Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday, most of the rain should clear the islands for the early part of the day with Northland and Auckland possibly seeing some rain lingering into the late morning hours.  But by Sunday afternoon, a new front will come on shore and bring rain the southern and western sections of both islands.  The rest of the country should stay dry.

Monday could be a fairly settled day with just a slight chance for rain for the southern and western sections of both islands. 

A more significant weather system is expected to bring more widespread rain chances to both islands.  At this time, it looks like the majority of rain will hold off until Tuesday.

By WeatherWatch Analyst Howard Joseph
http://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/a-parade-fronts

[JennyLeez]

What weather watch have to say

After a brutally cold start to winter for many regions the weather this weekend will be fairly Autumn-like with mild, settled weather kicking off the weekend for most then turning to colder wetter weather on Sunday.
Thursday marked the winter solstice in New Zealand which means no matter how you look at it winter is officially underway.
The shortest day usual signals the start to the coldest weather, however WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan says we may have already experienced some of the coldest weather this winter.  "June started off so aggressively cold that in some regions temperatures fell to about as low as they get even in the depths of winter".
Wind chills were estimated to be -12 of even lower around Hokitika at the start of the month in a freak blast that  killed 200 cattle.  Frosts of -2 have been reported in Northland and Auckland has had several frosts already, something more common in July or August for the city of sails.
Christchurch received record cold and snow has already fallen in the city on more than one day along with sleet and hail showers in other South Island centres.
Mr Duncan says the weather over the next few days will be fairly unsettled with another possible cold snap but a short lived high will bring a more settled Friday and Saturday to most main centres.
"We have a high pressure system to the north of the country which is basically telling the cold stuff to stay away for now, but on Saturday a cold front will push into the South Island bringing heavy rain to the West Coast and colder southerlies behind it, then a much colder southerly is likely around Tuesday and Wednesday".
"This Saturday looks fairly pleasant in the North Island and for eastern parts of the South Island although blustery winds may reach gale force in the east and around Wellington.  Sunday looks wetter in the north and colder in the south".

[OhauitiWeather]

Philip Duncan and nzherald.co.nz bring you this weekend's forecast plus we take a look at the incoming winter storm for the Southern Ocean early next week which bring gales, snow and bitterly cold weather to the Deep South.



WeatherWatch.co.nz
http://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/weather-video-your-weekend-forecast-wintry-blast-next-week