A dry and warm weather pattern has quickly moved into the upper North Island with locals recently telling WeatherWatch.co.nz about their increasing concerns of a very dry summer ahead.

However WeatherWatch.co.nz has maintained all year that despite the predicted El Nino it’s important to remember we’re two small islands in the roaring 40s – and our weather patterns can chop and change quite quickly.  So far, despite a few areas that are becoming dry to the point of it being “concerning”, most of New Zealand has had a healthy amount of rainfall as we head into summer.

December’s second week sees yet more rain events affecting the West Coast and Southland – but WeatherWatch.co.nz says drier, warmer, days are coming – and that the rain may now head in to northern New Zealand.

“We knew some rain was likely between Dec 10 and 13 for the upper and north eastern North and South Islands but now it looks as though more patchy rain or showers may linger over northern New Zealand until the 17th” says head weather analyst Philip Duncan.

For some growers, many farmers and those who rely on rain water; this will be very welcome news.  For many others, it may feel like yet another delay to the start of a much wanted long, hot, dry, summer.

“Sydney and other eastern parts of Australia have been hit by a string of thunderstorms and torrential downpours over the past week or two – now it looks as though a warm westerly flow will feed that same moisture into some dry North Island areas” says head weather analyst Philip Duncan.

“The area of rain is narrow – a stream of rain basically flowing from Aussie to New Zealand – but like any stream it can meander a little, so that’s why some long range forecasts are chopping and changing a bit, they haven’t yet locked in the exact path which means long range forecasts, across a large part of NZ, get painted with the same brush”.

Mr Duncan says the end result will likely be a case of isolated heavy downpours for some, cloudy and dry/drizzly for others.

The forecast for wetter weather over the next 7 to 10 days may not be great news for all New Zealanders – but a poll run last week at WeatherWatch.co.nz found that just 57% of Kiwis wanted Christmas Day to be “Sunny and hot” – showing that people who live in New Zealand are just as varied as the weather forecasts!

Image / File, Joy Elley

– WeatherWatch.co.nz