An Autumn change is coming to the lower half of the North Island and temperatures are set to tumble. The high in Dunedin and Invercargill today is just 14 and tomorrow drops to 12 or 13.

Christchurch has a high in the mid 20s today, but Tuesday is just 14 degrees.

The southerly change will bring something Canterbury desperately needs though: Rain.  The cold front and change to southerlies will see a band of rain move northwards across Tuesday, clearing from the south as the day goes on.

By Wednesday the entire South Island is dry again with temperatures climbing back as a high moves in.

Warmer, sunnier, weather returns for most South Island regions from Wednesday to Friday.

The cold southerly will also reach Wellington on Tuesday with a period of heavy rain in the afternoon. Wellington has a high of 20 today, 17 on Tuesday and just 14 by Wednesday – however bounces back to the low to mid 20s later in the week in true Autumn fashion.

Northern NZ will not be impacted by this southerly due to a developing northerly flow and a large low in the northern Tasman Sea that will hang around the north of the country from Tuesday this week until Monday next week.  

– Image / Rain map for 1pm Tuesday 

– WeatherWatch.co.nz