Another low pressure system will deliver more heavy rain and strong winds this weekend – but we aren’t about to get a repeat of this week’s spring storms says WeatherWatch.co.nz.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says the next low will form in the Tasman Sea and will very quickly replace the current cold snap.  “This is what spring is all about – hints of summer with plenty of reminders of winter”.

Mr Duncan says sleet and hail is still falling in some central parts of New Zealand today but will clear this afternoon and tonight leaving frosty conditions across the country overnight and into Thursday morning.  “By Friday and the weekend many regions will be immediately forgetting the recent cold snap.  For example Christchurch, which had snow last night, will reach 17 degrees on Friday with higher temperatures possible inland thanks to strengthening northerlies”.

So who will be most affected by this next low? 

It appears northern and western regions of both islands.  “This Tasman Sea low will rapidly deepen over Friday and Saturday but will quickly peak – so Sunday it weakens again”.

“It will tap into sub-tropical elements so again we will see a period of heavy rain crossing western and northern regions of both islands starting in Fiordland on Friday, crossing Auckland on Saturday then clearing East Cape on Sunday”.

Mr Duncan says rain may not reach warning criteria but could still cause localised surface flooding, with isolated thunderstorms also predicted for western areas.

For those who want some settled weather, WeatherWatch.co.nz has some good news – a large high is predicted to move in early next week with some long range data suggesting it may linger for much of the week.

– Homepage Image / Kapiti Coast last week, Chris Johnson

– WeatherWatch.co.nz