The weather on Anzac Day for much of the country will remain settled as people gather for commemorations across Aotearoa.
Cloud cover will increase during the morning, according to a MetService forecast, and temperatures will be a touch chilly sitting in the single digits through Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and on the East Coast.
For areas bordering Cook Strait, such as Wellington, the Kāpiti Coast, and coastal Marlborough, there will be blustery northwesterly winds. MetService said a windproof layer wouldn’t go amiss.
Northwesterly winds would also be on the rise in exposed parts of the Canterbury High Country, inland Otago, and Southland.
An Orange Strong Wind Warning was in place for the Canterbury High Country, while the other areas mentioned were under a Strong Wind Watch. Winds would ease from the south by the end of the day.
MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan recommended: “Best to bring a raincoat if you’re in Southland or Queenstown Lakes — even though it might start off dry”.
Buller and Grey districts would have showery weather, while a band of heavy rain is expected to travel northwards over Westland as the morning progressed.
An Orange Heavy Rain Warning was in place for the ranges of Westland from 4am to 2pm tomorrow; there was also a Heavy Rain Watch for Fiordland earlier on.
What about the weekend?
For the upcoming weekend, Corrigan said: “Friday will see periods of wet weather across the country and a change to cooler southwesterly winds.
“Any lingering showers are expected to clear up for the weekend, but that chillier air remains, so we’re looking at a prolonged run of single digit overnight temperatures into next week and frosts in the South Island.
“Clear skies are what allow for these cooler nights, but they also let temperatures bounce back into the mid to high teens during the sunny afternoons this weekend for a fine end to the school holidays.”