Wet and hellish - welcome to springtime for Wellington

Friday, 29 September 2023

Why is spring in Wellington so terrible? (file photo)

With a week of wet and windy weather behind and more on the horizon, Pōneke seems to be moving into another rainy spring -- but why is the season so terrible in the capital?

Writer Sarah Catherall called spring in Wellington “the beginning of hell”. The season is known in the city for its damp and rainy flavour, with strong northerly winds pushing a wet blanket of grey across the sky and nary a daffodil to be seen.

It is an enemy to the delicate tulips that emerge en masse at the Botanic Garden, to umbrellas, and anyone who likes to keep their hair styled.

The 'real' seasons of Wellington including a less than inspiring spring period, according to the calendar created by Adam Shand.

Some people like to call the season “shitsville.” Coined by Wellingtonian printmaker Amy Herself and her brother Adam Shand, the months from September to December each year are characterised by wet rainy weather, bracketed by “spring 1” and “spring 2” on either side, with summer not really happening until February.

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said spring in Wellington tended to be wet during El Nino, which saw an increase in weather systems coming from the west.

The westerlies brought with them showery weather and strong winds.

Spring tulips emerge en masse at the Botanic Gardens during the capital’s windiest season.

As to why Wellington was always so wet during the latter half of the year, Makgabutlane said New Zealand’s climate was influenced by sea conditions, and especially the sea surface temperature.

If sometimes it felt like winter lasted longer than expected, that was because the Earth was starting to change position and tilt on its axis.

The meteorologist said this week had been cloudy and rainy in Wellington, which had been caused by a high pressure system density out of the country, and was acting as a roadblock for weather systems trying to move on.

“So that caused all of the weather systems that we've had to be quite slow moving, meaning that they linger over us for a longer time to be cloudy and rainy for days and days on end.”

She said Pōneke could expect a bit more sunshine on Friday, only for cloudy conditions to return later in the day and into Saturday, where another wave of cold wet weather would emerge.

“We should hopefully see some breaks in the weather on Sunday.”