The MetService has put out its first weather forecast for Christmas day and it's not looking good for the summer barbeques.
It's bad news, Santa baby. Photo: 123RF
With Christmas day now only nine sleeps away, MetService has released its first weather prediction for the day, although things could still change ahead of Santa's arrival.
Warm temperatures are expected for the 25th, but for most of the country, the warmth will come with rain.
But there is still hope that the backyard cricket set will get some use next weekend.
Because the forecast is automatically-generated 10 days in advance, things could still change, MetService meterologist Lisa Murray said.
"There are lots of weather models for Christmas day but they're all so different we don't have a lot of confidence in the forecast at the moment.
"What we're telling people is dont panic and rule out the barbecue just yet - they need to check the weather closer to the time, about five days before is a good time to do that."
Ms Murray said there are still lots of possibilities on what could happen for the 25th.
"A few weather features will move over New Zealand before Christmas day, so we could end up with a deep low in the Tasman or a high, so the weather could clear for Santa."
Ms Murray suggested keeping an eye on the weather forecast as it develops over the coming week, with more accurate predictions expected within five days of Christmas.
