First day of summer mud – how’s the rest shaping up?

Summer is here. But it’s not quite beach weather, yet. Cloud and showers are forecast for much of the country yesterday with heavy rain on the way for the weekend. MetService said to expect a bumpy ride through the first week of summer, with rain for many and “yo-yoing temperatures” in some places. A low pressure system is expected to direct some warm, humid air across Aotearoa, but it also comes with the potential for heavy rain, according to MetService. Tomorrow, rain is expected across the North Island, with heavy bursts of rain and strengthening northwest winds, especially around the southern tip of the North Island. So what does the rest of summer look like? Brandolino said dryer and warmer weather was expected from the second week of December. Speaking on Niwa’s summer climate outlook livestream, Brandolino said there was a chance of temperatures getting into the mid-30s in mid-December. Above average temperatures were expected for eastern and northern parts of the country, while the rest of Aotearoa was forecast to have normal or above average temperatures. Below or normal rainfall was expected for most of the country this summer. There is also positive news for those looking towards Christmas. Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said the week of Christmas was favoured to be dry for a good chunk of the country. “Certainly not promising a dry Christmas at this point, but this is definitely what you want the guidance to look like a couple weeks in advance.”