Barometric Pressure Forecast for Wellington, New Zealand
Barometric pressure forecast for Wellington, New Zealand — on Cook Strait in the path of the Roaring Forties, with one of the most restless barometers of any capital city. See current barometric pressure and what it means for weather-sensitive people.
Download Pressure Pal to track barometric pressure and get migraine alerts for Wellington and your area.
Pressure and weather in Wellington
Wellington sits at the southern tip of New Zealand's North Island on the northern shore of Cook Strait, a narrow gap between two mountainous islands that sits directly in the westerly belt of the Roaring Forties. Air flowing east across the Southern Ocean is squeezed and accelerated through that gap, which is why the city is among the windiest in the world and why its barometric pressure record is so exceptionally active. Deep lows tracking across the Tasman Sea and the Southern Ocean pass the region regularly in every month of the year, and each one brings a substantial fall and recovery, often within a single day. The signature event is the southerly change, when a front sweeps up from the south, the wind veers abruptly, the temperature drops sharply, and current barometric pressure swings in step — these can arrive with very little warning and occur throughout the year. Remember that seasons are reversed here: winter runs June to August and is the stormiest stretch, while summer covers December to February and is milder but still frequently windy. Between systems, ridges of high pressure from the Tasman bring the calm, clear days Wellingtonians treasure precisely because they are uncommon. A barometric pressure forecast for Wellington is worth watching in every season, not just one.
What this means for you
Can barometric pressure cause headaches? Wellington's barometer changes more often, and often faster, than in most of the world's cities, so weather-sensitive residents here rarely get long quiet spells. Knowing when a southerly change is due is the practical goal. Use this barometric pressure forecast with Pressure Pal as a migraine tracker app to see pressure change today and get alerts before the next front crosses Cook Strait.