Christmas weather: Rain, showers forecast for much of New Zealand over holidays
An indoor Christmas may be on the cards for the next few days with cloudy skies and showers forecast for much of New Zealand.
- Wet and cloudy weather is forecast to plague much of New Zealand in the lead-up to Christmas.
- Temperatures will range from the low to mid-20s on Christmas Day.
- The weather is expected to become more settled towards New Year’s Eve.
Cloudy skies and showers are forecast for much of New Zealand over the next few days, making an indoor Christmas possible.
MetService forecaster Surprise Mhlongo said the thunderstorm that plagued the South Island along with showers across the North Island yesterday should have eased by now.
He said the weather was forecast to be fine across the country for the first half of today with a few showers passing through.
“We expect it to be mainly fine going into tomorrow.
“For Tuesday, most of the country is expected to be mainly fine for the first half of the day. However, a low is likely to make landfall in the far south in the evening,” Mhlongo said.
“That is expected to move and cover most of the western parts of the South Island into Christmas Day.”
Conditions are set to be similar for much of the North Island on Christmas Day.
“A fine day for the morning but as we go into the afternoon, the front is progressing gradually north,” Mhlongo said.
“The late afternoon and evening are when we are going to see rain for most parts of the North Island.
“Places like Wellington and Kāpiti might be sheltered from that rain for most of the day. Likely we are going to see a few showers at night.”
The top of the South Island will have similar weather for much of the North Island.
Mhlongo said temperatures would be in the low to mid-20s for much of Christmas Day, with an average of 23C in most places.
“We are expecting a temperature of 26C in Gisborne, 27C in Masterton and 26C in Alexandra,” he said.
“In Auckland and Northland, we are expecting a maximum temperature of 24C with a low of 14C.”
The weather across the country was expected to settle towards next weekend and New Year’s Eve.
David Williams is an Auckland-based multimedia journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics.
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