Auckland weather hits unusual 30C high
Tuesday, 29 January 2019
The 30 degree Celsius temperature forecast for Auckland on Tuesday is unusually high for the country's largest city, MetService says.
It is the warmest temperature since in the city since January 1998.
Factors contributing to Tuesday's heat in Auckland included light winds, sunshine, the warm air mass over the country, and warm waters in the Tasman Sea.
A minimum overnight temperature of 20C will make it tricky for Aucklanders trying to sleep.
READ MORE: New Zealand heatwave - live coverage: 30C forecast for Auckland as heat moves north
Meteorologist Tui McInnes said the technical definition of a heatwave was five consecutive days of 5C above the average temperature.
While the city is likely to be hot and stay hot for the next few days, the sea breeze is likely to keep it just below the threshold of that, he said.
There are some places in Auckland that will feel a lot warmer than the average and will stay that way until the end of the week when it drops down to 26C or 27C.
The warmest the Auckland has managed in two years was 29C in January 2018 at Auckland Airport, where MetService has its main weather station.
The warmest ever temperature recorded in the city was 33.1C in Henderson North in February 1998, and 31.5C at Ardmore in 1999.
Fine, hot weather will continue for all of New Zealand will be experiencing the same, if not higher temperatures.
McInnes said sea breezes were important in modulating the county's temperature.
An example of the effect of sea breezes could be seen in Napier yesterday, where the temperature rose to 35C then fell away 5C to 7C when the sea breeze kicked in.
Inland cites such as Waikato, Tauranga, Manawatu, Marlborough and Central Otago will maintain the hottest and most consistent higher temperatures, away from cooling sea breezes.
Niwa's Chris Brandolino said Tuesday could well be the warmest day of this summer for Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland.
For the country as a whole, Thursday was likely to be the 'apex' of the heat, Brandolino said.
Where will New Zealand's hottest locations be on Tuesday? 🌡️
NIWA's high-resolution weather model suggests:
South Island, Marlborough 36˚C
North Island, Waikato, 32˚C pic.twitter.com/D6qWyCqxnQ
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) January 28, 2019
NORTHLAND
The latest forecast from MetService, issued shortly after 7am, said the North Island would see mainly fine weather and hot inland temperature.
'However, areas of morning and evening cloud, mainly near the coast. Isolated showers about the central plateau in the afternoon and evening.'
CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND
Meterologist Angus Hines from MetService said early morning showers in the north of the North Island, then fine and warm for the rest of the day.
Gisborne will be a few degrees cooler than Monday due to easterly flow.
New Plymouth will be 26C, with Napier at 28C and Whanganui at 28C.
Palmerston North will be 'taking the cake' with 32C and a sunny day, he said.
WELLINGTON
Despite early morning fog in Wellington, the capital should reach 27C. Masterton will be a bit higher with 30C.
Tuesday is likely to be the warmest day, Niwa's Chris Brandolino told the AM Show.
'… Wellington, there's going to be a north-easter, a northeast wind comes down the land off the hills, that's your warm wind direction in Wellington, so you're going to rise well into the upper 20s.'
A southerly change approaching from the south would tend to excite the northwesterly winds ahead of it.
'You actually need the wind to help maximise temperatures,' he said.
Wairarapa weather was expected to continue to be hot over the next few days, with the MetService predicting similar highs on Tuesday.
Temperatures were a bit cooler in Tararua with some of cloud cover taking the edge of the highs. Dannevirke reached 25.5C by mid afternoon. On the south coast fishing settlement of Ngawi temperatures were in the late-20s.
Hutt Valley could see 32C.
SOUTHLAND
Niwa predicts Marlborough temperatures will soar to 36C on Tuesday afternoon.
Marlborough to Southland will be generally fine and hot inland, but morning and evening cloudy periods about the coast.
Nelson and Buller will be hot and fine with areas of high cloud.
Fiordland will be fine with areas of high cloud, but cloud with light drizzle about the Fiords.
Blenheim will reach 30C, while Nelson is forecast to be 26C and Christchurch will hit 24C with some cloud.
Queenstown will hover around 29C, with Dunedin and Invercargill reaching 24C and 25C respectively. Timaru is set for 25C.