Interesting looking at the surface pressure maps, both current and forecast – there appears to be an almost continuous belt of high pressure completely circling the globe at our latitude. If this remains as it is the southern ocean storms will be blocked for months to come, also the subtropical airflows will cease. This will leave NZ in a “groundhog day” type scenario of reasonably dry air with very intermittent breaks for small cold fronts inbetween the vast high pressure systems.
Even over previous years, this seems unprecedented.