Stormy weather with severe gales ahead this week

Rural Tauranga. Photo: Robyn Matheson.

Stormy weather will impact parts of New Zealand in the new week with severe gales in both islands, says a WeatherWatch spokesperson.

Pockets of heavy rain and heavy snow and a wintry temperature drop are expected for the lower South Island in particular.

Rain or showers is forecast to linger across eastern portions of the North Island on Sunday, and the leading edge of rain associated with an active cold front will approach from the Tasman Sea on Sunday reaching Fiordland.

'Rain and strong northwesterly winds are also expected to intensify and spread into the West Coast on Monday. This storm will shift to upper South Island and central New Zealand on Tuesday,” says a WeatherWatch spokesperson.

'Rainfall amounts are likely to be around 80-100 mm across the West Coast and Fiordland on Monday, 30-50 mm in the east and lower North Island and the upper South Island on Tuesday.

'Alpine areas of the South Island are expected to receive snowfall of 15-20 cm from Monday to Tuesday.”

Damaging wind gusts of 80 km per hour to 100 km per hour are also expected in some locations across the lower North Island and the upper South Island on Monday.

Damaging winds from the south to south west are also possible on Wednesday in coastal Canterbury, especially Banks Peninsula, with gusts over 100 km per hour possible.

Low pressure moving in across NZ will deepen while moving slowly eastwards through Wednesday, and as the low deepens, winds will increase behind it.

Heavy rain and strong south to southwesterly winds will occur across Southland and Otago on Tuesday before spreading northwards along the east coast of the South Island on Wednesday. Rainfall amounts of 50-80 mm could impact already wet parts of the lower South Island.

Temperatures will be above to well above normal across New Zealand through Monday while some portions, especially eastern parts of the country, will experience cooler than normal night time temperatures.

'Temperatures will plunge significantly into well below normal from Tuesday with single digit highs in some places in the south of NZ and then single digit overnight lows across much of New Zealand.

'Minimum temperatures may drop to near freezing in some portions of the lower South Island.

'Of the six largest centres in NZ, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington are most exposed to severe weather for a time. Auckland, Tauranga and Hamilton will be least impacted, although Auckland City may have westerly gusts just reaching into gale force for a time on Tuesday afternoon and perhaps Wednesday too in western coastal areas.”

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