Land of the long white cloud: High-pressure system to blanket many parts with cloud

Strong winds are causing a ruckus about the west coast of the North Island this afternoon with waves measuring as tall as three metres about Auckland.

Metservice has issued a coastal warning for Auckland, announcing winds could reach speeds of around 50km/h from Bream Head to Cape Colville.

Meanwhile, popular Auckland beaches Muriwai and Piha are experiencing wave heights of 3.7m and 3.6m respectively.

Coastal gale warnings have also been issued for the Chatham Islands and high sea warnings in the Forties, Subtropic, Pacific and Southern sea areas.

Looking forward to the rest of the week, New Zealand will certainly be the land of the long white cloud this week due to a ridge of high pressure.

The ridge will force cloud to blanket western and inland areas of the country and will restrict overnight temperatures from dropping too dramatically.

Here's a snapshot from the weather satellite. Plenty of cloud in the west, but the east is looking ka pai!https://t.co/rcECVuGXOw
^Tui pic.twitter.com/9TmVo9wqSd

— MetService (@MetService) May 20, 2019

Metservice meteorologist Tui McInnes said the forecast for many remains chilly despite the ridge of high-pressure moving over New Zealand.

"Meteorologists often refer to this situation as a 'dirty ridge'," he said.

"The anticyclone effectively traps moisture beneath it, restricting how it can move around in the atmosphere."

"The end result is more persistent cloudy conditions, especially during the morning and evening."

McInnes said some frosts are possible and Kiwis around the country can expect a few "nippy mornings".

WeatherWatch said the high-pressure ridge will run for several thousand kilometres from west to east but not very tall from north to south.

"This particular set up means there is a westerly flow across New Zealand, even if very light, for much of this week and that encourages clouds off the Tasman Sea," they said.

"These clouds are low-altitude ones which means then stop when they reach the ranges and higher level ground across NZ.

"This cloud makes for cooler days as it limits sunshine but milder nights as it helps hold on to the daytime warmth."