Sun’s out as Napier welcomes Robbie
Most Kiwis will be soaking up the sunshine this weekend as Aotearoa begins to see typical signs of El Nino before an “active jetstream” lashes the country next week.
The dry, sunny forecast will be welcomed by concert-goers in Hawke’s Bay heading to Robbie Williams tonight and tomorrow after heavy rain drenched the region on Tuesday night and early Wednesday.
Tens of thousands of fans are set to descend on the Mission Estate Winery in Napier for the shows this weekend.
Local street flooding and slips affected areas in Wairoa, Mahia, Nu¯haka and Frasertown this week, many of which continue to recover from the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle in February.
About 100-150mm of rain fell over 12-24 hours, according to Niwa.
But MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris says temperatures in Napier are forecast to reach 18C today and up to 24C tomorrow.
It will be a similar story for Sam Smith fans making their way to Auckland’s Spark Arena for a performance at 7pm tonight after a sunny 20C day.
A large area of high pressure lies over New Zealand, with temperatures set to reach the high teens to early 20s throughout the day.
The Far North is the only exception to the dry weather in the North Island, with showers possible this afternoon.
Ferris says the high pressure will slide north tomorrow, bringing more fine, dry weather to the North Island.
“The North Island is in for a mostly dry and settled weekend, as the band of rain isn’t forecast to reach there before Tuesday,” Ferris said.
While much of the country experiences a short reprieve from wet and windy weather this weekend, Niwa has warned of “an active jetstream” returning to New Zealand next week, particularly the South Island.
“Strong westerly winds will likely be felt across the country like those experienced earlier in spring, typical of El Nino,” Niwa said.
The jetstream is likely to bring rain and wind to the west and warmer conditions to the north and east.
The first effect will be seen from tomorrow.
MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning for Fiordland, from 8am until Monday afternoon.
Between 220 to 300mm of rain is expected, the largest amounts about the fiords, at peak rates of 15-25mm/h.
Fiordland, Southland, Stewart Island and Clutha are warned of strong northwest winds from early tomorrow, which will likely remain throughout the day.