KEY POINTS:
I read this morning's story in the Herald about Labour Weekend's weather - yep, another wet Labour Weekend on the way - hardly surprising! But one thing MetService didn't mention was the cold southerly that'll be working its way up the South Island - not to mention a coolness in that wind over northern New Zealand.
We have created our own independent and detailed Labour Weekend forecast for your town or holiday spot - click this link to read it. I suggest you bookmark the link because the forecasts will all be fined tuned as Labour Weekend approaches - not to mention across Labour Weekend so you can check back there for our latest forecasts!
But back to the cold - it'll be a return to winter in the South Island starting Saturday and really being felt on Sunday with places like Invercargill and Dunedin struggling to make it over 9 degrees - not to mention a wind chill that feels more like zero. That cold southerly will move up Canterbury late on Saturday and into Wellington on Sunday, also grazing Wairarapa - might also take a degree or two off the temperature in Hawkes Bay although relatively speaking it'll still be pleasant in Napier.
Wellington will be wet and windy, not to mention cold, for much of the weekend - even more of an excuse to be indoors enjoying the cafes and bars I guess! Any excuse to enjoy a nice red wine in the middle of the day!
In Auckland it's not going to be freezing - but it's certainly not going to be as warm as this week has been. Once that main rain band moves through, probably on Saturday morning, the nor'easters will turn sou'west. Highs in Auckland will hover around the 17 degree mark but remember those sou'westers aren't exactly tropical, so dress for more like 14 or 15 if you're going to be out in the wind.
But to almost contradict myself if you're in a sheltered, sunny, spot you may still feel the heat - and remember that burn time is now high. Fair skinned people can get burnt in less than 20 minutes during the middle of the day - and even if you aren't fair skinned that UV radiation can still cause damage to your skin.
Apart from the main centres our traditional holiday spots certainly aren't perfect but they aren't too bad either. Bay of Islands & Eastern Coromandel - rain easing on Saturday and winds shifting westerly - which means most of the showers for Sunday and Monday will fall in western areas, highs may still reach 17 or 18, maybe 19 on Monday.
The Nelson region also looks pretty good with a similar set up - wet on Saturday but as that southerly moves through the skies should clear. Could be a bit chilly at night though.
Queenstown looks very cold at night but the daytime highs are relatively "ok" - quite possibly sheltered a little from those southerlies more so than Invercargill and Dunedin with highs in the mid teen.
Philip Duncan
Photo / Susan Nikolaison, Wairarapa Times-Age
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