With plenty of focus on the New Year’s Eve forecast recently how’s New Year’s Day looking?

It’s looking similar to how the weather is today but the extremeness of the weather steps up a fair few notches over the South Island. The West Coast of the South Island is very likely to see rain and plenty of it with heavy falls and thunderstorms. If your going to be in the area and doing any outdoor activities make it a vital next step to check the latest weather warnings from government forecast Metservice and plan accordingly.

Rain will likely be around for much of the day in Southland and most of Otago although northern parts of coastal Otago may stay dry. Canterbury and Marlborough are most likely to be dry with thick high cloud although a few showers spreading off the western ranges at times is possible, rain will be heavy up near the main divide so river levels will be rising quickly, rising quickly in fact in all rivers on the east coast.

Winds will also be very strong from the northwest particularly in the afternoon through all of Canterbury and Marlborough gusting to gale force at times.

About the top of the South Island and lower North Island expect strong northwesterlies there also gusting to gale force through Cook Strait, thick high cloud will be about and conditions generally dry although a few showers may affect the Kapiti coast and western parts of the Marlborough Sounds.

The rest of the North Island gets the better weather tomorrow, especially out east where Hawkes Bay and Gisborne are likely to be warm and sunny. Expect sunny areas and some cloud out west with west to northwest breezes, right on the coast about Taranaki through to Kapiti cloudy periods will be a little more frequent a northwesterly winds a bit more persistent.

So with all that in mind the WeatherWatch.co.nz team would like to thank you for your support throughout the year and hope you, your friends and family have a great New Years Day and can look forward to a great 2013.

Homepage image / Christine Johnson

WeatherWatch.co.nz