High pressure is building over the country and the next few days are expected to be “relatively” settled.

The Radio Network’s head weather analyst says this week will see lighter winds and clearer skies.  “We don’t quite have a big large high moving over us but the air pressure is on the rise as the weekend’s low tracks away south of New Zealand.  What that means is the atmosphere is becoming more stable – limiting the nasty stuff”.

Mr Duncan says a few showers will be dragged up the west coast of New Zealand but they’ll be “brief and isolated”. 

“This really is a chance for many places to dry out, especially in central and eastern areas.  By Wednesday a small ridge of high pressure will cover most districts ahead of the next large area of low pressure which will develop in the Tasman and spread showers or rain bands to Auckland by Thursday night.

Winds are also easing after what has felt, for some, like of weeks of gales.  “As the air pressure rises and the low moves further away the winds will also ease.  Wednesday is looking like a very calm day.

But there is another a system developing in the Tasman and it has the potential to bring more rain northern and western New Zealand and perhaps a short cold blast to the South Island.  We’ll have more details on this system in the next day or so.

Meanwhile South Island weather analyst Richard Green has released some interesting figures for the Mainland – see story below.