KEY POINTS:
Humidity's on the way back for the north with rain on the way for a number of areas as Tropical Cyclone Innis develops north of New Zealand. Last night the Tropical Depression was upgraded to a category 1 tropical cyclone south west past New Caledonia. It's going to move over warmer waters of the Coral Sea/Northern Tasman Sea and join forces with unstable air off Queensland. It's expected to then deepen and head towards New Zealand by the end of the week. Rain may be heavy enough to cause flooding and winds may also be strong enough to cause damage...we'll have a better idea where it's going on Thursday.
This also means a build up of humidity over northern New Zealand this week. Yesterday temperatures in Auckland, Waikato and Northland all climbed back up to 26 degrees and over - with 28 recorded in Kaitaia. Today it will be just as hot, if not hotter, with humidity lifting during Thursday. So that humidex will come back into play again with a number of centres feeling like the low 30s on Thursday - especially if the clouds stay away.
We have all the latest on this Tropical Cyclone here
The rain could be a blessing for many areas, still suffering from a very dry summer. The North Island looks likely to cop the heaviest rain, according to MetService, with western and central areas most at risk. But further south, into Marlborough and Canterbury the rain may well be the answer to many prayers. In recent weeks rain has helped the farmers out a little bit but this could be just what they're needing to give confidence that Autumn won't start off bone dry.
There will be a similar feeling across Waikato and Marlborough where further rain will help make that grass grow faster. Those relying on rain water to fill water tanks or water gardens will also welcome the rain.
When it's been dry it's vital that rain doesn't arrive to heavily or too quickly. This causes water to run off the land and not be absorbed by the ground - it also increases the amount of silt and debris in rivers. Drizzle and light rain is best to start things off. It's very similar to a sponge - a dry sponge will reflect water at first...a slightly damp sponge sucks it instantly. Soil reacts the same way. In this case drizzle and light rain are expected first so that's good news...but that may not be the case everywhere, especially between South Waikato and Kapiti. Of course it's still a few days out, so we'll need to wait until about Thursday to be sure. I'll have all the latest on this low in my Friday report and at the Weather Watch Centre over the next few days.
