New Zealand has been battered by blustering winds in recent weeks, leaving many of us wondering if it will ever stop.
Earlier this week, Wellington was struck by huge gusts that left behind widespread damage across the region. Photos and videos showed picnic tables going flying, a supermarket with windows blown out and homes sustaining serious damage.
El Niño promises to bring warmer weather this summer, but will the winds die down?
In what is likely disappointing news to most, NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll says no.
With El Niño comes more wind, Noll told 1News.
"We're forecasting above-normal wind speeds through summer. I think it'll be with us for some time to come, even through autumn as well."
On the positive side, Noll said it was unlikely the strong gusts that damaged Wellington this week would happen frequently.
"Most of the time it won't be damaging like it was in Wellington, but sometimes there could be potential for it to cause some damage.
"At best it will be annoying, particularly in the South Island and the lower North Island. You might see what we saw earlier [this spring] where campervans are flipped on their sides and things like that."
The heat promised by the El Niño climate is yet to arrive, although that looks set to change this weekend, with much of the country set to experience temperatures above 25C, and the likes of Christchurch and Gisborne even approaching 30C on Sunday.
Noll said warmer weather should be more common this summer, and the North Island is likely to feel it the most.
Winds from the tropics of Cairns and Indonesia will also bring more humid weather.
But don't expect the hot weather to be a constant theme this summer, Noll said.
"This El Niño is atypical. It's not locked into a single weather pattern. So one hot day is not going to be indicative of the weather for the whole week. Expect different weather throughout the summer."
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