Windy week for Whanganui with city exposed to strong southwesterlies

High wind speeds were recorded in Whanganui throughout the week. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui has been battered by southwesterly winds throughout the week, with wind gusts as strong as 80km/h recorded on multiple days.

MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon said strong west and southwesterly flows had been recorded up and down the country, but Whanganui had been one of the most affected areas.

“Whanganui is definitely one of those places which is exposed to that kind of direction,” she said.

“Those sort of westerlies and southwesterlies just go straight into the city.”

On Monday, the recorded mean windspeed was 40km/h while the strongest gust was 61km/h.

Tuesday recorded a mean speed of 45km/h with gusts up to 80km/h.

The mean speed on Wednesday was 50km/h, while the strongest gust was a 70km/h northwesterly.

As of 2pm on Thursday, the mean speed for the day was 45km/h, with a maximum gust speed of 80km/h.

Wotherspoon said a ridge of high pressure was making its way over the country, so winds had started to die down on Thursday in comparison to the rest of the week, and they were expected to ease off further on Friday and Saturday.

Friday was forecast to be cloudy in the morning, but it would clear for the rest of the day as a northwesterly flow took over from the southwesterlies.

“The northwesterlies will still be there and probably be a bit fresh, but they won’t be as strong as they have been for the past few days,” Wotherspoon said.

By the weekend, a southerly front is to make its way to the region, which means occasional showers are expected from late morning on Saturday.

A spate of showers is expected later in the day on Sunday.

While the change in fronts would bring wetter conditions, Wotherspoon said it would also bring a substantial increase in temperatures.

Highs of 25C on Saturday and 26C on Sunday were forecast, well above the average high temperature for the region in December.

“We’re heading into late December now, but your average for this time of year would be about 21C as a high.

“It also shouldn’t be as windy over the weekend, as Whanganui is better sheltered from winds coming from the northwest.”

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.