Severe gales were tipped for Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington, as well as in Taranaki, Waikato, Manawatū, Marlborough, Nelson, Canterbury, Otago and Southland.
In the meantime, the City of Sails had a forecast high of 23C for Saturday and 24C for Sunday and Monday. Fresh westerly winds were expected for late this morning, along with partly cloudy conditions and isolated showers.
Auckland’s Sunday could deteriorate, with MetService forecasting occasional rain to develop early with a strong northwesterly wind in the afternoon and evening.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said Saturday “could see some rain on the west part of the South Island ... while the east parts will be dry and hot”.
“Into Sunday, the focus switches to the North Island.”
MetService meteorologist Juliane Bergdolt said warnings associated with the strong, intense cold front bringing the storm would be issued in the coming days.
Bergdolt also said the strong winds would bring a dramatic temperature shift, with cooler conditions replacing some of the recent sweltering days.
“Maximum daytime temperatures [will be] in the mid-teens for southern parts of the South Island on Monday and Tuesday,” she said.
“The colder air runs northwards across the country, bringing some snowfall to the tops of the Southern Alps for the early hours of Monday morning.”
Makgabutlane said: “Into Tuesday, we’re looking at quite the dip [in temperatures], especially in the deep south. Gore [expected] 25C [on Thursday], fairly warm for them, and after that front passes through on Tuesday, it will only get to 12C.
“That will be a trend into the latter part of Tuesday and into the week. It looks like a similar story in places like Queenstown too.”
WeatherWatch said as the storm moved on to the North Island there would be less frequent downpours and possibly thunderstorms.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
