Santa Claus is packing the sleigh for a merry visit downunder on Tuesday night — but he’s likely to be swept along by a mixed bag of weather.
MetService meteorologist Oscar Shiviti said a low-pressure system was developing in the Tasman Sea and would be approaching the country in the lead-up to Christmas Day.
Rain was expected to fall across the west of the South Island from Christmas Eve into Christmas morning — spreading north from Fiordland to Westland, Tasman and Nelson.
The North Island would not be escaping the rain either. By midday, showers were expected for the upper half of the island, particularly Northland. This would move southwards throughout the day, reaching Auckland by mid-to-late afternoon.
Auckland was likely to have rain persist into Boxing Day, while Hamilton might avoid showers until the late afternoon.
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Parts of the country would enjoy relatively clear skies. The Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, the Wairarapa and the east of the South Island were expected to have a “fairly okay” Christmas Day, said Shiviti.
Wellington and the Kāpiti Coast would also remain dry for most of Christmas Day, but a change in weather was expected later in the evening, with rain likely just as the pavlova came out for dessert.
Christchurch and Dunedin too, would experience drier conditions on December 25, with rain holding off until Boxing Day although the wetter weather would stick around there until Friday.
Warm welcome in most locations
Many regions would experience a warm Christmas, with mid-20s expected in most places.
However, a southeasterly wind would bring a slight cool down to areas such as Gisborne, Hastings, Masterton, Christchurch, Ashburton and Timaru.
Overall, Kiwis should expect a little bit of everything this Christmas.
Whether you’re planning an outdoor barbecue or a Christmas indoors, the key to enjoying the holiday would be staying ready for whatever the weather brings, rain or shine.
