MetService predicting a wet, windy Easter

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

A heavy rain dump for the Gisborne-East Cape region is on the cards for Easter.

MetService says wet and windy weather is on the way.

Various weather models, including MetService’s, show a low developing to the north, or off East Cape, pulling heavy rain on to East Cape-Gisborne region over Saturday and Sunday.

Earlier outlooks were hedged about with “uncertainty” as to the development, track and position of the weather.

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris stated: “While the Easter weekend for the South Island will see plenty of fine, dry weather, for the North Island it will be a wetter, windier story.”

Areas surrounding the East Cape are set to bear the brunt of the wet and windy weather, especially on Saturday and Sunday, but most of the North Island will see rain at times during the long weekend, he says.

The low is also expected to bring wet weather to Hawke’s Bay.

“While the low pressure stays nearby through the weekend, it will feed rain on to the East Coast with the potential for some periods of heavy rain.

“Strong winds will surround the low pressure  and we are forecasting blustery conditions  around eastern and central regions of the North Island, especially on Saturday.”

For this region, some might be hoping for moisture, with data showing only 20 percent of normal rainfall for the month.

The rain total for Gisborne as of yesterday was just shy of 30 millimetres — the 30-year average (1991-2020) is 93mm.

With clear skies, the amount of sunshine is up by about 110 percent of normal, but the downside is clear nights have lowered 24-hour temperature averages.

Overall, March is running about a degree cooler than usual, matched by the water temperature off the beaches.

The latest sea temperature is around 18.8 degrees. The March average is 19.8.

Tuesday’s daytime air temperature hit a warm 26.9 but the all-time March high was a sweltering 35.1 degrees on March 10, 1983  — a strong El Nino year.