Niwa seasonal climate outlook suggests a mix of weather for Manawatū over next three months

Niwa's seasonal climate outlook expects a mix of weather for Palmerston North residents over the next three months. Photo / NZME

Manawatū residents can expect a mix of weather over the next three months.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) released its seasonal climate outlook for December 2024 to February 25 on Friday, November 29.

Forecaster Chris Brandolino said people in the area could expect a range of weather this summer.

“It looks like the summer season will be warmer than usual. We’ll be watching for a part of mid-December for a period of wet weather.

“Over the next couple of weeks, most of the North Island is looking to be drier than normal and the trend seems to show there won’t be a lot of rain over the next 10 to 14 days. This doesn’t mean there won’t be rainfall over that time, it just means it’s likely to be a deficit of rain than what usually falls at this time.”

The outlook states there’s a 60% chance of temperatures being above average, with rainfall totals having a 40% chance of being near normal or 35% chance of being above normal.

He said while he couldn’t confirm if Christmas will be sunny, the current trend suggested a possibility.

“As we get close to Christmas and if the timing goes as expected, we could see it drying toward Christmas. We’re still a few weeks away from being able to confirm that trend.”