A large high will spread northwards Tuesday and should finally bring relief to Wellington residents who have endured gale or near gale winds since Friday.

The high is predicted to clear skies for many central, inland and eastern areas after days of low cloud and rain.  Frosts are expected in the South Island on Wednesday morning and may drift in to the North Island on Thursday or Friday morning.

Dry weather is expected to prevail in the South Island for the next 3 days however a new low that has formed north east of the North Island will again bring rain between north Auckland and Whangarei during Tuesday and early Wednesday.  South easterly winds caused by the low may also be strong in some exposed coastal areas from Northland to Coromandel and East Cape.

The anticyclone is expected to bring relief to many New Zealanders.  Comments posted at WeatherWatch.co.nz lately show many people are wanting warmer, sunnier, weather to return.  However luck is against them.

Queen’s Birthday Antartic Blast…

WeatherWatch.co.nz believes a polar blast this weekend may well be more intense than last weeks cold snap.  Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says while last weeks southerly brought air from around Antarctica this next system may bring bitterly cold air directly off the ice caps.  “Our computer models are showing a very different set up with this next southerly.  Predicted highs are much lower, with many places in the South Island only expected to reach 5 degrees on Sunday, Wellington only 7 degrees, temperatures low enough in the north to bring a possible dusting of snow on the Coromandel Peninsula peaks”.

Sunday’s weather map showing a stream of air crossing Antarctica and moving up southern and eastern New Zealand.  Image / GRADS, COLA/IGES

The most severe weather is forecast for Sunday which Philip Duncan says may be a good thing.  “Most people will be heading away on Friday and returning late on Monday.  At this stage the worst of the polar blast may be while most are at their holiday destinations and not while they’re travelling”.

However Mr Duncan does acknowledge there is still a question mark over Monday with so much cold air and gales around.  “We’ll have a much clearer idea in another day or so.  Needless to say no matter where you’re going to be this long weekend make sure you have a heater and warm clothes – it’s going to be a cold one”.