Respite for chilly residents

Waikato’s spate of brutally cold nights is over for the next week at least, according to MetService forecasters.

With a large anticyclone shifting off the North Island and heading into the Pacific Ocean, cloud and some rain will return to the region towards the middle of the week.

This means the hours of darkness will be “back to average temperatures for this time of year, rather than colder than average,” meteorologist Clare O’Connor said.

“This week is looking like it will be a little warmer ... In Hamilton there will be overnight temperatures of about 8C. We have been getting around 3C and sometimes colder this past week.

“It should be getting up to the high teens during the day.”

Tomorrow should be a day of settled weather once the anticyclone departs. Rain is forecast for Wednesday, but the next weekend should feature the return of sunny skies, thanks to another ridge of high pressure coming in from the Tasman Sea.

“It won’t be as cold as what it has been this weekend.”

The unpleasant coldness will likely return as winter continued.

There has been one silver - or should that be mauve - lining in that the clear overnight skies have allowed some excellent views of the stunning aurora that lit up much of the country on Saturday night in particular. The phenomenon was the result of billions of tons of plasma – known as coronal mass ejections – exploding from the surface of the sun towards the earth.

NATALIE QUIN One of Waikato’s cows takes in the coronal aurora - a rare benefit of the recent chilly, clear nights. This spectacular picture was taken by reader Natalie Quin at Parawera, south of Te Awamutu.