Big change - a week of westerlies

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tich
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Big change - a week of westerlies

Unread post by tich »

This week looks like the opposite of last week for NZ. Here in Canterbury, we should be having mild westerlies or northwesterlies, instead of the cold, wet southeasterly flow of last week. This is a major change in weather patterns, and I wonder if it's set to continue. (it is spring of course) The models I've looked at suggest a change to cold southwesterlies in the south in the weekend, but even that represents a change from the recent cut-off lows that have been forming on cold fronts to the west and then moving northeast, resulting in easterlies or southeasterlies for NZ. However, the latest long-range forecasts suggest that it won't always be fine weather for Canterbury during this period of westerlies/northwesterlies, given the predicted strength of the flow and its associated cold fronts. But the West Coast should be very wet.

A sunny, mild day in Chch today, little chance of any repeat of yesterday's changeable weather. With all the moisture from recent rain, following by mild sunshine, plant growth is bound to be good. (including lawns and weeds)

Ben
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Michael
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Re: Big change - a week of westerlies

Unread post by Michael »

tich wrote: But the West Coast should be very wet.
Ben
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So will Auckland when the southwesterlies arrive-its mild today however
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Unread post by NZstorm »

A sunny mild day with 20.1C the max for Grey Lynn. Slightly humid too with dewpiont temps upto 14C. Hopefully we get more of this NW type weather from the disturbed westerly rather than the SW type weather.
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Unread post by tich »

The northwesterlies have become gusty this evening in Chch, and surprisingly there has been shower activity around the city from this afternoon. For a few minutes about 7.30 PM, I thought that the Southern Alps had been bulldozed down - we had quite a heavy shower! A more plausible explanation would be that rain and general storminess on the West Coast was too intense to be prevented by the mountains from allow some of it to cross over to Cantebury.

Looks like more stormy northwesterlies/westerlies for the rest of the week - gales in places, heavy rain on the West Coast, and snow in Fiordland. True spring weather.
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Unread post by Manukau heads obs »

its good for farmers these warmer westerly conditions....growing grass well now!!

this low in the BOP looks to be deepening,.,...and combined wtih the system/front in the tasman, the NI is in for a battering later today from the W/SW
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Unread post by Michael »

Its still more WNW here today but we will "know about it" when it goes SW-probably the Waiarapa is copping it at present
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Unread post by tich »

Batten down the hatches - wild winds look like battering eastern areas tomorrow. I imagine inland areas of Canterbury getting the worst of it, but Chch should still get blustery winds as well.

BTW only 9C temps at midday in Mahia and Gisborne - must've been a southerly or southwesterly wind at the time during the rain. However probably only liquid stuff in that area, except maybe on the higher peaks, like 1750 metre high Mt Hikurangi.
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Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Yes I notice a very deep low moving quickly east through the southern seas, this low with it's associated front sweeping across tomorrow.
Down to 944hPa moving at 35k/hr according to MetService's 0600UTC weather map.
Much quieter in the mountains today???? judging by sfericals on the AM band!

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Unread post by tich »

Northwesterly winds picking up in Chch, though far from gale yet. (Most probably stronger inland, though) Becoming warm - about 16C on my thermometer already.
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Unread post by TonyT »

We had a gale between about 7.30am and 8.15am, then lighter for a few hours, now back up to 25-30 knots.
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