Summer has started, but Kiwis could be forgiven for thinking it's still on its way as strong wind and torrential rain is forecast to batter the country.
Friday morning is forecast to be wet and windy for swathes of the country with several weather warnings from MetService. Wellington should be wary of powerful northwest gales at speeds of up to 120km/h, and Canterbury can expect much of the same.
The West Coast will be drenched by heavy rain, approaching 50 to 60mm in 12 hours. Fiordland and Southland will get the same treatment.
Back in the North Island the Tararuas can also expect strong westerly winds, approaching gale-force at times.
It's been a bumpy start to the summer, thanks to La Niña, which is currently sweeping the globe. The complex weather system has recently moved to moderate strength, NIWA says, which means New Zealand is more likely to get a summer "that has a mixture of drier westerlies and wetter northerlies".
La Niña is caused by strong wind blowing warm water at the ocean's surface from South America and across the Pacific Ocean, and is expected to peak in the first few months of next year before petering out.
