Interislander ferries.
Photo: RNZ/ Rachel Thomas
Cook Strait ferry sailings are delayed today as rough seas and strong southerlies continue in the Cook Strait.
MetService Meteorologist Lewis Ferris said cold conditions in the Wellington region are a clear signal of the seasonal shift into Meteorological Autumn.
Strong cold south easterly winds, rain and hail were making for a chilly start to the week for Wellington and parts of the lower North Island today.
Winter is on its way
Ferris said the weather is a clear indication winter was not too far away.
“The cold air that has been moving up from the south just a few days ago, was actually down around Antarctica. It’s sped up across the Southern Ocean, didn’t warm up too much and it has been zooming through Wellington through yesterday and today. So, we are getting that chilly, chilly southerly air hanging round, some heavy rain in the mix and even some hail overnight,” Ferris said.
He said the change coming at the turn of the season was well timed to hammer home the feeling of a cold conclusion to summer.
“If this weather had happened in a few months time, we would’ve seen some very, very cold overnight temperatures. In this case, we have just seen a few temperatures getting below zero degrees [and] seeing some frost around the South Island. but it could’ve been a lot colder had it happened a few months later,” Ferris said.
Ferris said the majority of the country would see below-average temperatures throughout the day and on Wednesday morning.
“Some places will actually be a bit warmer tomorrow morning. We are looking at parts of Central Otago and Southland beginning to warm up, which does spell out the trend for the rest of the working week. Heading to Thursday [and] Friday we’ll actually see temperatures rebound to above average.
“We are seeing those swinging temperatures. It is one of those shoulder seasons, so it is the kind of thing we will see for a few more weeks, if not months,” Ferris said.
He said this week’s cold temperatures would ease as the weekend approached.
“We are seeing those showers ease up a little bit – we shouldn’t be seeing too much in the way of risk of hail today. As we move into Wednesday, it is still easing, still southerly showers along those eastern coasts of the North Island, but we will be noticing a little bit more clearer skies moving into Thursday,” Ferris said.
Ferries delayed as large swells batter Cook Strait
Tuesday morning’s Interislander sailings aboard the Kaitaki, from Wellington, and Kairahi, from Picton, will now depart each port at about 11.30am.
Three metre swells and winds of up to 74 km/h were forecast for the Cook Strait today.
Bluebridge said the conditions were leading to longer crossing times. It said the morning and early afternoon sailings from both Picton and Wellington could be delayed by up to five hours on Tuesday.
Passengers are advised to check for updated departure times on the ferry provider’s sites.
Wellington Harbour’s East By West ferry – between Queens Wharf and Days Bay – was also running a restricted timetable due to the conditions.
Ferry sailings were also delayed or cancelled on Monday.
Jetstar flight diverted to Christchurch
In the air, a Jetstar flight from Auckland to Wellington this morning was diverted to Christchurch due to high winds.
One passenger told RNZ as they approached the Capital, the pilot announced it was a “pretty typical wet and windy Wellington day”.
“We were coming into land and then suddenly thrust of the engine as the plane went back up and we went around to try again. Second time [we] didn’t get that close due to wind sheer,” the passenger said.
They said the flight would refuel and re-attempt the trip if conditions allowed.
Ferris said cold and at times heavy rain was likely to be contributing to a few bumpy flights.
“It’s no surprise that planes have had a bit of a tricky time coming in this morning. With these heavy showers, you typically have strong updrafts and strong downdrafts. So, on approach from the north, they happened to be close to or passing through one of those showers, it would have been a bumpy time.
“An aborted landing isn’t too surprising in these situations,” Ferris said.