Cyclone Jasmine continues to churn away as a moderate strength tropical cyclone 1700kms north of New Zealand and serious flooding has returned to Queensland – but for New Zealanders the forecast continues to improve for many with more sun on the way and less rain overall.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says a stream of highs moving in from the Great Australian Bight are helping guide Jasmine away from New Zealand and are also stopping the wet easterlies from badly hitting us.

It’s a different story across the ditch with severe flooding in parts of Queensland and very wet conditions in New South Wales due to the wet, humid, La Nina easterlies.

WeatherWatch.co.nz Australian reporter Claire Murphy says Sydney has had a very wet summer.  “It’s been a very wet, cloudy and not especially hot summer in Sydney.  I play soccer after work and our three month season has gone for six months – and is still going – due to rained out games”.

Here in New Zealand it isn’t so much the rain but the constant cloud which is draining the fun from summer.

But WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan says this week higher air pressure will help keep away the bigger rainmakers and a new easterly flow will see sunny weather move to regions that have recently been dull.

“In Auckland yesterday the overcast long weekend made way for brilliantly sunny weather as the winds tilted south east – traditionally a hot and sunny wind direction for the city in summer, it’s just a shame it arrived after the holiday weekend but it was what we were predicting last week”.

Sunnier weather should also move into Waikato and other western and central regions of the North Island. 

But the new south east flow over much of the North Island means eastern areas will be cooler, cloudier and at a higher risk for showers. 

“This shower risk zone stretches from Wellington to Gisborne and, to a lesser degree, eastern Northland. Showers are most likely around East Cape and Gisborne this week but plenty of dry spells are likely too” says Mr Duncan.

Meanwhile in the South Island sunnier weather is also predicted but a slow moving, weak, cold front will drift up the island as the week progresses. 

This should mean wet weather for Fiordland and parts of the West Coast but is unlikely to have much impact in the east.

But the front will see a southerly develop later in the week and this weekend – dropping temperatures briefly by a few degrees.

Daytime highs for many other regions should rise over the next couple of days due to less clouds.

– Homepage image / File, 3 sisters, Diane Cooper

– WeatherWatch.co.nz