|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
A heavy rain watch for Auckland and Waikato has been issued by MetService as downpours have begun in these regions.
In Auckland, the watch is in force for 20 hours from 3.00pm today, 23 September until 11.00am tomorrow, September 24.
MetService is forecasting periods of heavy rain, with localised downpours possible and high rain levels, which may trigger a warning criteria.
It forecasts a “moderate chance of upgrading to a warning.”
For the Waikato, the forecast is the same but the weather watch begins from 2.00pm today until 1.00pm tomorrow.
Met Service says a watch will be issued “when we know bad weather is coming and it will be significant but not serious enough to reach ‘warning’ criteria, or when there is uncertainty about what might happen.”
If the weather systems are upgraded to a warning it means people need to be prepared to take action.
“A warning is used when the forecast indicates incoming bad weather (expected heavy rain, strong wind or heavy snow) will meet our Severe Weather Criteria. It signifies that people need to be prepared and take action as appropriate as there could be some disruption to their day and potential risk to people, animals and property.
The majority of warnings issued by MetService will be orange,” MetService says.
A week of wet weather
MetService Meteorologist John Law told the Franklin Times the forecast is for wet weather across the rest of the week.
“This is the same band of wet weather that has been lingering for the last week or so in Southland and has moved up the country,” he says.
He says Canterbury has just had some very severe weather, which brought strong winds with gusts of 120 and 130km hour.
Moving up the country, Wellington has just had 70mm of rainfall,” Law says.
He says this week will be “showery” in Auckland with some more intense bursts of rainfalls.
“The weekend is forecast to bring westerly winds and showers.
“It isn’t going to rain all the time but keep an eye on the rain radar,” law says.
He says the system we are seeing is “classic Springtime weather,” which means warm temperatures, but westerlies remain, which bring with it more wet conditions.
