The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said Christchurch received more than a third of its average December rainfall in the past 24 hours, with 46 millimeters of rain recorded in the city and 73 mm in Akaroa.
Meanwhile, for Auckland, MetService forecast that expected heavy and thundery showers in the west of the city would clear and become good again in the evening. Strong wind gusts of up to 90 km/h in vulnerable places should also decrease, the forecaster said.
The first day of 2025 was likely to be partly cloudy with some isolated showers in the city, but these should clear in the evening, MetService said. It was expected to be 22 degrees tomorrow and 23 degrees on Thursday.
Strong winds in the Northland, Coromandel, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taupō regions are also expected to ease in the evening.
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Tuesday’s emoji cast:
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) December 30, 2024
Winds in Wellington were expected to ease by midnight, but showers were expected to continue tomorrow.
Showers were forecast for Christchurch into the night, but winds there were also likely to decrease. A cloudy first day of the year was forecast for Garden City, with showers becoming less frequent from late morning and clearing in the evening.
The western and southern parts of the country were expected to avoid the worst of the weather.
Clear skies were expected in Queenstown this evening, MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon said, as the Rhythm and Alps music festival enjoys its second night in Cardrona Valley.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter covering breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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