An active bout of weather across the country brought more than 14,000 lightning strikes, and the hottest November temperature on record for one region yesterday.
MetService meteorologist Heather Keats said the “warm, wet and thundery” conditions had also been paired with “record-breaking heat”.
“So yesterday, Auckland got to 27.1C. That is a new November record for Auckland, and records have been going back since 1966, so it’s very, very warm,” she said.
She said it was hot all over the country, with Hawke’s Bay recording 32C, fuelled mostly by a warm and humid air mass which had come down from the tropics.
“But also we’ve got very warm sea surface temperatures for this time of the year as well.”
While most areas dealt with the heat, there had also been watches and warnings in effect for some areas as active fronts brought rain, wind, and lightning strikes.
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“It has been a rather active night. We’ve been watching an active band of thunderstorms that’s been moving over central New Zealand. We’ve had a lot of strikes in the last 36 hours, kind of looking at around 14,000 that have been close to our shore over land, and they’re still sparking up at the moment as they kind of head towards Whanganui.
All heavy rain watches and warnings have since been lifted.
What’s coming up?
Keats said there was still a thunderstorm risk today for “quite a large part of the country”.
“Even this afternoon and evening, all the way up to the upper north of places like Auckland and the Coromandel there could be those thunderstorms as well.
“It’s kind of a showery day today. Tomorrow does improve, though. It’s looking much better, but there is still a chance that warnings might be required for heavy rain in northern Fiordland and the ranges of Westland south of Harihari.
“Then on Sunday, the wet weather does start to pack in again, so the North Island tomorrow can expect a pretty good day in most of the South. But then on Sunday, another low pressure system coming out over the Tasman that’s going to drive up the winds, it’s going to drop rain to Southern and central parts of the country” she said.
Will it stay muggy?
Keats said it would still be hot for many places, including Napier where a heat alert was in effect.
“Our heat alerts have started again for summer, so it’s a really good and easy way to see just how impactful that heat’s going to be.
“We have had it in place for Napier for the last couple of days, because it hasn’t just been really warm days – it’s been very warm nights too.”
“Whereas places like Christchurch and Ashburton, they’ve been knocking on that 30C, but it’s been dropping right down overnight so it kind of balances out a little bit.”
“Napier still has a heat alert, because it’s 30C today for Hastings, 29C tomorrow and 31C on Sunday. But then down to 13C during the evening.
In the South Island, she said Blenheim would hit 28C, Christchurch 26C during the day, but would then drop down to 8C tonight.
“So a nice little reprieve from the heat during the day.”
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