Enjoy winds of change: early summer on cards

AN EARLY summer and an end to the blustery conditions of the past month look to be on the horizon, according to the latest national climate summary.

Temperatures between November and January are expected to be near or above average across the country, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said yesterday.

The only exception was the west of the North Island and east of the South Island, where normal spring and summer temperatures were the most likely outcome.

For November higher-thannormal pressures were expected to dominate the country, resulting in a marked change from the ‘‘very disturbed’’ westerly flow of October.

Dr Brett Mullan, principal scientist of climate variability and change at Niwa, said that meant the tail-end of spring should feel more like summer in most places, including Wellington.

It also meant the westerly winds that have been buffeting much of the country break.

‘‘We do think November will be a pretty settled month. It will be quite a change from the blasting people have been getting.’’

Rainfall from now until January was likely to be near normal across the country except for the north and east of the North Island, where there was a chance it could be above average.

Niwa said the equatorial Pacific Ocean continued to be in a neutral state – neither El Nino nor La Nina – which was likely to persist into autumn next year.

lately

should

be

taking

a