Funny time of the year

We're at that funny time of the year when weather patterns in both hemispheres are quite similar. As we cool down heading into winter the other side of the world warms up going into summer...and we meet in the middle with similar weather forecasts and temperatures.

In London, England, the high for yesterday was 19 degrees. Paris had 21, Zurich 22 and Berlin 23 all under mostly clear skies. Overnight lows are mostly around the 9 or 10 degree mark. This is very similar to New Zealand... daytime highs are currently mostly between 18 and 22 degrees with overnight lows hovering around the 8 to 12 degree mark this week. Even the Canary Islands have highs around 22.

The weather around the globe has gone pretty quiet but I thought I'd do a little research and find some interesting bits and pieces for you - in particular, I was keen to see if other cities all around the world were experiencing similar highs - so here's a selection of daytime highs from big cities around the world, including New Zealand, this Friday.

* Melbourne: 21 degrees

* Sydney: 22

* New York: 19

* Atlanta: 21

* San Fran: 19

* Toronto: 18

* Paris: 18

* Beijing: 24

* Johannesburg: 21

* Seattle: 16

* Auckland: 22

* Wellington: 20

* Christchurch: 20

* Tokyo: 19

* Zurich: 16

Those are just a handful of cities various countries and the majority fall in that 18 to 22 degree category, including New Zealand. The UK and north western parts of American and Canada were all around the 14 degree mark (still not that far off) and the hottest places, such as Perth, Nadi, Mexico City, Apia, Brisbane, fell into the 29, 30 degree mark - again, not that extreme. So everything has a "levelling out" quality to it.

Extreme weather at home...

Weather conditions around New Zealand have certainly been pretty quiet lately however a storm across the South Island will see heavy rain and strong to gale force winds during today. The West Coast is mostly in the firing line but inland parts of Canterbury, Otago and Southland may also see gusts up to 120km/h according to MetService.

Rainfall amounts up in the mountains may also exceed 200mm so trampers and holidaymakers are advised to delay their plans until at least the weekend.

Meanwhile, the North Island should remain under a ridge of high pressure for the next few days...but a deep low is going to form in the northern Tasman Sea. This low may well bring a wet and windy start to next week but at this stage it's still too far out to know its exact path.

Extremes around the world...

At Scott Base yesterday the low was - 24.5 ... the high was a balmy - 18.

In Alert, Nunavut (north western Canada - the northern most airport in the world too) the high Wednesday was - 21 the low was - 27.

A tropical low is forming in the Bay of Bengal and could turn into a tropical cyclone.

Two storms are affecting America, one in the east and one in the west. There's also a high fire danger already in parts of southern Arizona, Texas and northern Mexico.

Hamilton 400

Finally, the Hamilton 400 gets underway this weekend in Hamilton. We've set up a link with detailed forecasts, which include temperatures and the chance of rain for the racing event. (http://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/hamilton-400-forecast)

 Philip Duncan

 Photo / AP