“So it might be that if you’re 20km over from where the heaviest stuff is, you don’t see any of it and you just get a normal rainy day,” she said.
For Northland, the odd shower was possible this afternoon and evening and some could be heavy, but rainfall rates were not expected to reach those recorded yesterday.
Aucklanders could wake to fog after rain cleared before dawn, with conditions set to brighten as the day progresses.
There was still a chance of “some showers”, although Martino said it “could be a pretty nice day for a lot of people”.
Temperatures were expected to reach the high teens across Auckland and Northland, about 3C warmer than average for this time of year, not “super unusual” for winter, Martino said.
Wellington was expecting rain in the morning before conditions improved throughout the day.
Further south, Christchurch could enjoy an unusually warm winter day despite some cloud and the odd spot of rain.
“Christchurch will start the day off with northeasterly winds which are coming off the ocean. At this time of year, [they’re] not super warm, but it is moist,” Martino said.
Winds higher in the atmosphere would then turn northwesterly, mixing warmer, drier air down towards the city.
The Garden City was forecast to reach 19C, more than 6C above average for this time of year. Kaikōura was also due to reach 18C.
The relatively mild conditions will not last, however, with southerly winds expected to spread across the country later in the week and bring cooler temperatures into the weekend.
Martino said it would be “not the full-on blast from Antarctica” experienced in recent weeks, but would be chillier than the start of this week.