Rotorua Christmas weather: Rain expected from afternoon into Boxing Day

Those in Rotorua may need to stay undercover or grab an umbrella for showers, as once the Christmas Day rain starts, it is expected to persist. Photo / Andrew Warner

Blue skies and sunshine could decide to take a holiday of their own this year, and skip an appearance at Christmas dinner today.

MetService meteorologist Oscar Shiviti said it was looking fine for Christmas morning with sunny spells starting the day for Rotorua, but it was unlikely to last long.

“In the afternoon for Christmas Day, that’s when we’re expecting some rainy conditions to start, which are expected to persist through into Boxing Day.

“On Boxing Day, we’re actually expecting, in both Bay of Plenty and Rotorua, to have rain for a lot of the day, if not all day.”

Shiviti said the rain would likely ease off late into the evening on Friday.

MetService was not expecting a lot of rain accumulation and may see less than 10mm but emphasised keeping up to date with the forecast if anything does change.

The Christmas Day and Boxing Day forecast may experience a change in terms of the onset of the rain, however, MetService was confident with its forecast at this stage.

The Christmas Day rain is likely to persist through to Boxing Day and ease off late in the evening on the twenty-seventh. Photo / Andrew Warner

No severe weather warnings are expected to be issued but Shiviti said to keep an eye on MetService warnings if something were to happen in the coming days.

Despite the showers predicted for Rotorua, temperatures are looking fairly warm and are expected to stay in or above the 20s.

Rotorua is expected to reach a high of 23C today. Boxing Day temperatures will likely drop but remain warm at 20C.

The area is not alone in experiencing a slightly wet Christmas and Boxing Day, as close by regions are expected to have similar weather.

The system bringing the rain is coming from the west of the country and Shiviti said a lot of areas in the west will have more significant rain earlier in the day.

“The Coromandel, Taupō and Waikato are also expecting rainy conditions starting from the afternoon, moving into the evening and on Boxing Day as well.”

Kaitlyn Morrell is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.