April Ends With a Bang — And May Starts With One
After a wild few months of downpours, thunderstorms, and even mini cyclones, New Zealand’s weather shows no signs of slowing down — and it’s only April.
As we inch closer to May, our traditional monsoon season, the outlook across Aotearoa remains unsettled. MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo (Thapi) Makgabutlane summed it up perfectly:
“April goes out with a bang — and May starts with one.”
What’s Happening Now?
The upper North Island, especially Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, and Coromandel, continues to be battered by rain and strong winds following a soggy Anzac weekend. And it’s not over yet — fresh weather warnings and watches have been issued.
- Northland (north of Whangārei) is under a heavy rain watch from 10am Monday to midnight Tuesday.
With the ground already saturated, the risk of surface flooding and slips is high. There’s also a strong chance this watch will be upgraded to a full warning. - Canterbury isn’t escaping either. From 3am Wednesday to 3am Friday, another heavy rain watch is in place, with potential for an upgrade depending on rainfall amounts.
Meanwhile, Wellington can expect blustery winds midweek, which will stir up rough sea conditions around the lower North Island.
Brace for a Chilly Start to May
A cold snap is on the way, too.
- Christchurch will see daytime highs struggling to hit 11°C by Thursday.
- Many parts of the lower South Island could dip into single-digit temperatures.
Makgabutlane warns: the final month of autumn is shaping up to be cold, wet, and possibly even snowy.
“April squeezed three months of weather into one — time will tell what May has in store.”
