Meteorologist Lewis Ferris from New Zealand’s MetService has indicated that after a slow start to the South Pacific’s tropical cyclone season, conditions may change in the coming days.
“As we head through the weekend and into next week, we see the potential for a tropical cyclone to spin up,” Ferris noted.
The area of interest is situated between Vanuatu and Australia, a considerable distance from New Zealand, providing ample time to monitor the system’s development and potential trajectory.
Meanwhile, New Zealand’s weather remains relatively stable, dominated by a large high-pressure system minimizing the risk of severe conditions. However, a swathe of warm, humid air is producing a bit of rain around central parts of the country today.
This risk of rain appears to meander around the country over the weekend, but if you keep up with your local forecast you should be able to find a dry time to enjoy the outdoors.
Looking ahead, current weather models forecast the area of high pressure to hold on through the first week of February, including Waitangi Day, but maybe breaking down towards the end of the working week.
Temperatures are predicted to be around average for February, which might come as a relief to those along the east coasts who had a chilly run of southerly winds through January.