Whanganui weather: Rug up as Friday and Saturday temperatures expected to drop

Temperatures in Whanganui are expected to be significantly lower for Friday and Saturday than the rest of the week. Photo / Bevan Conley

People in Whanganui are advised to rug up, as a sharp drop in temperatures has been forecast for the end of the working week and the beginning of the weekend.

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said a cold front would sweep up the country on Friday.

“That will be bringing quite a change in weather conditions compared to what we’ve seen this week,” she said.

The stark change will be the result of a cold air mass directly from Antarctica replacing the warm air mass which has resided over Aotearoa for much of the past week.

The frontis likely to reach Whanganui early in the day, so morning temperatures may feel relatively warm.

“For the bulk of the day, it’s actually going to be on the chilly side,” Makgabutlane said.

“So, quite a flip from what we’ve seen over this past week.”

The cold front would also bring spates of rainfall and strong southerly winds in the region, especially in coastal areas.

A daytime high in the mid-teens was expected, but wind chill would make this feel even cooler.

Saturday would be much the same with regard to temperature and wind, but with showers expected to start to clear as the day goes on.

Conditions would improve over Sunday, with only one or two inland showers and warmer conditions forecast as the cold air mass is set to move its way on from the region.

The southerlies would also start to ease up, meaning temperatures would be on the rise again, with a high in the late teens forecast.

“So Friday and Saturday are the days to rug up a little bit, but then by Sunday we start to see an improvement,” Makgabutlane said.

By Monday, conditions were expected to be much as they were before Friday the week prior, with fine and dry weather, warmer westerly winds and daytime highs in the low 20Cs.

Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.