Race on to enjoy the long weekend
After a morning of cancelled flights and wild winds, Wellington’s weather made a sudden U-turn yesterday and, by the afternoon, almost resembled summer.
We’re in for a few more treats this long weekend, with the best weather set to drop on Monday, after some galeforce winds shake things up on Sunday.
Those heading to Wellington Cup Day at Trentham Racecourse tomorrow should expect cloud to increase in the afternoon, with northerlies, warming to 18 degrees Celsius.
‘‘[And] it’s going to be pretty good on [Wellington] Anniversary Day,’’ MetService forecaster Cameron Coutts said. ‘‘But, in between, we’ve got another deep low, which will surge across the South Island on Sunday.’’
Wellington would feel the effects of that front, and galeforce winds of at least 110kmh could tear through exposed places, Coutts said.
Monday would be mainly fine with a fresh northwesterly, making the capital ‘‘one of the places to be’’.
The weather bomb that began on Wednesday evening sent wind gusts of up to 150kmh across the Rimutaka Hill Road. ‘‘We had gusts of 120kmh in Kelburn on Wednesday,’’ Coutts said.
Yesterday morning’s wind and rain drenched early commuters and sent the Wellington wind needle bobbing up and down like a seesaw. But the skies cleared and the day warmed up, giving commuters a dry journey home.
At Wellington Airport, 23 flights were cancelled yesterday morning, an airport spokeswoman said.
They included 11 domestic and one international incoming flights, as well as nine domestic and two international outbound flights.
Affected passengers were shifted to the next available flights, and it was business as usual by yesterday afternoon, she said.
Hawke’s Bay saw no sign of the wintry blast, with temperatures sitting at 24C by mid-morning.
The sun-soaked region is on the brink of drought as the lack of summer rain begins to bite.
Federated Farmers Hawke’s Bay president Will Foley said farmers were crossing their fingers for rain in March but they had learnt to adapt to dry summers.
Showers and rain are expected today and on Sunday for Hawke’s Bay, with temperatures tipped to peak at 27C this weekend.