Heavy rain marks start of summer

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:12p.m.

Summer will make a damp start tomorrow with nearly a dozen heavy rain warnings covering the North Island, and a cold southerly heading towards the South Island.

Weather Watch analyst Phillip Duncan said today that northwest wind flows are continuing to pump very humid air over northern New Zealand.

The MetService has predicted further heavy rain for the areas from Taranaki across to the Central North Island, for the Ruahine and Tararua ranges, and for northwest Nelson, with falls of 60mm to 120mm and a further 150mm at Mt Egmont. People in northwest Nelson should expect further heavy rain tomorrow afternoon and evening, while in the North Island the rain should ease late on Wednesday.

In parts of Northland and Auckland the combination of warm temperatures and humidity will give the feeling of summery temperatures, Mr Duncan said.

But in the South Island it will feel more like the start of winter rather than the start of summer. Though Tuesday should be a few degrees warmer than Monday, "it will be short-lived, with another southerly moving up on Wednesday," said Mr Duncan.

NZPA

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