Smoke from Australia's wildfires sweeps across the Tasman, causing hazy NZ skies
Saturday, 9 November 2019
If you've got clear skies overhead this weekend, you might also be in for some spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
Huge plumes of smoke from the Australian wildfires are being swept across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand by strong winds.
MetService meteorologist Peter Little says the smoke will affect our skies here by giving them a hazy reddish brown appearance in some parts if the country.
Sunsets and sunrises in particular may look enhanced due to the smoke particles reflecting in the light at that time of day, Little says.
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* Thunder and rain set to dampen weekend plans as 'messy period of weather' arrives**
The 'unprecedented' bush fire emergency in New South Wales has destroyed more than 100 homes. One person has reportedly died and another two people are missing.
The huge plumes of smoke from the fires have been captured on satellite imagery.
Little says the high winds across the Tasman Sea have created perfect conditions for the smoke to be carried across to New Zealand.
Although changes in the wind on Saturday evening and Sunday may push some of the smoke to the north of the country, Little predicts much of it will hang around for the weekend.
However not everyone will see it. Much of the country is under cloud this weekend, with the West Coast and parts of the South Island experiencing some heavy rainfall.
People with cloudless skies will have the best view of the smoke, which will linger high up in the sky, Little says. Those in the Hawke's Bay in particular might see slightly redder sunsets than usual, Little says.
Other Kiwis might notice the brilliant blue sky above them instead looks a bit more hazy, he says.
It's not the first time smoke from Australian bush fires has swept across our skies. In February, an enormous dust cloud blanketed Canberra, Sydney, and parts of New South Wales, before 2300 kilometres of cloud made its way to New Zealand.
Although the dust remained high up in the atmosphere, it caused some sunrises and sunsets to appear redder than usual.
Thunder and rain is set to dampen the weekend plans of many New Zealanders as a 'messy period of weather' makes its way up the country.
Most of the West Coast is under a heavy rain warning, with heavy rain and possible thunderstorms also predicted for parts of Gisborne.
Strong wind watches are also in place for parts of Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Taranaki, Taihape and inland Hawke's Bay. As well as Nelson, Marlborough and the Canterbury High Country until Sunday.