Cloudy days on the horizon
Weather across the country will stay settled through to early this week, thanks to a blanket of cloud locked above the country.
New Zealand is sandwiched between a high pressure system, sitting east of the Chatham Islands, and a low system, sitting to the northwest of New Zealand in the Tasman Sea.
“In one word, the whole country is looking very cloudy from Saturday through to Tuesday at least,” MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said.
But don’t worry, it’s not the gloomy winter clouds we’ve seen accompany the dramatic weather of late.
“It’s more like a big sheet over your head than the low grey clouds.
“It acts like a blanket over the country. It keeps the temperatures fairly constant,” McInnes said.
Unseasonably, the mercury won’t creep down to shivering low temperatures overnight until the high system dissipates, McInnes said.
Ashburton was stretching towards 17C yesterday, while the chilliest spot in the country was on the Desert Rd, at 6C.
Meanwhile in Auckland, windy conditions had kite surfers out in force.
While Auckland’s dam levels have risen a little, more rainfall would be welcome. Watercare statistics show dam levels sit at 59.52 per cent of total capacity, still well below the historical average of 88.40 per cent for this time last year. — Kim Moodie