Weekend weather is all wet

Monday will feel a bit dryer, but it's a brief respite. MetService Meteorologist Tui McInnes

Low cloud disrupted flights in an out of New Plymouth Airport yesterday as bad wet weather rolled in and scotched chances of a fine weekend in Taranaki.

The sunny weather earlier in the week was pleasant while it lasted, but the weather forecast for the weekend and beyond is a return to the wet climate that has plagued the province for months on end.

The rain on Saturday might not be as strong as Friday, MetService Meteorologist Tui McInnes said.

‘‘But it will still be a wet, showery day and that continues on to Sunday.’’

On Sunday night the wet weather will start to ease, he said. But it’s only temporary. ‘‘Monday will feel a bit dryer, but it’s a brief respite.

‘‘It will rain on Tuesday and the rest of week looks quite wet.

‘‘You’ll get good amounts of rain as the week goes on.’’

A low pressure system that is developing off Australia and heading towards New Zealand strong, he said.

‘‘It’ll bring westerlies strong amounts rain.

‘‘There might be a nice start to week, but it’s a false start, because the rest of the week will be wet again.’’

And temperature actually could get a bit cooler as well, he said.

‘‘Nothing too bad. The max today is 18 degrees Celsius. It could drop to 17C or 16C.

‘‘And the overnight min was

14C last night and could drop to 9C or 10C later in week.

‘‘It won’t be cold like winter, but it will feel a bit cooler.’’

MetService’s long term predictions suggest there is a 60 to

70 percent chance of above average temperatures between now and the end of January.

However, there is hope on the and horizon for hot Taranaki summer.

Nava Fedaeff, Niwa Weather climate scientist, said New Zealand was on the cusp of La Nin˜a conditions.

La Nin˜a events are typically associated with north-easterlies which leads to overall warmer temperatures, above average rainfall in the northeast of the North Island, and reduced rainfall in the southwest of the South Island, Niwa’s three-month seasonal outlook said.

‘‘The expected circulation pattern over the next three months and the temperature and rainfall outlooks are broadly consistent with La Nin˜a-like patterns.’’

Fedaeff said as north-easterlies blow in, Taranaki will be relatively safe.

‘‘You guys are a bit more sheltered,’’ she said.

Fedaeff said near normal rainfall in the next three months was forecasted for the region, which meant a ‘‘typical summer’’.

‘‘Temperatures are likely to be above average,’’ she said.

‘‘It will be quite similar the weather we’ve had this month.

‘‘These are broad strokes, though.

‘‘The weather goes up and down so there can still be cold snaps or heavy rain.’’

The month of October offered above average temperatures throughout the country, including the Taranaki region, Niwa said.

As for the ocean, while coastal water temperatures have cooled, Niwa forecasts temperatures to remain above average in the next three months.

Taranaki waters are currently between about 15C to 16C, MetService said.