The final week of meteorological summer would tick all the boxes, according to MetService, with a “persistent” area of high pressure bringing clear skies, warm days, light winds, and little rainfall to much of the country.
The sole disturbance comes in the form of a rain band which moves onto southern Fiordland and the ranges of Westland this evening. A heavy rain watch has been issued from the regions from 7am until 8pm on Tuesday.
MetService said it had been an “abnormally dry start to the year” for the west of the South Island.
“Milford Sound has recorded only ~20% of its usual rainfall for this time of the year.”
This rain weakens before it reaches the lower North Island on Wednesday morning.
The forecaster said warm northwesterly winds would give daytime temperatures a bump tomorrow, but that a following southerly would drop them back down on Wednesday.
MetService meteorologist Clare O’Connor said the uneventful weather would be good news for anyone attending or performing at Te Matatini in New Plymouth this week.
“Other than the chance of brief rain on Wednesday evening, dry and mostly sunny conditions are forecast so don’t forget to slip, slop, slap, and wrap while enjoying the day.”
Similar conditions were expected over the whole country for the rest of the week before another rain band approaches the south closer to the weekend.
Two cyclones named in the tropics
MetService said while settled weather was the story in New Zealand this week, the tropics have had a “burst of activity”.
Two tropical cyclones were named on Sunday: Category 1 Tropical Cyclone Alfred in the Coral Sea and Category 2 Tropical Cyclone Rae north of Fiji.
Multiple warnings are in place in Fiji as the cyclone approaches the Lau Group, with Rae expected to become a severe tropical cyclone later today. Schools in the Lau Group, Lomaiviti and Vanua Levu are closed and Fiji Link flights are impacted.
“A third area of interest between Vanuatu and Fiji may also develop into a tropical cyclone over the coming days,” MetService said.
“While none of these are expected to impact New Zealand, MetService’s tropical cyclone forecasters are always keeping a close eye on the tropics at this time of the year.”
