Low pressure remains stuck over the NZ side of the Tasman Sea, while high pressure remains to our east and is helping feed heavy rain into the lower eastern South Island.

🛰️💧Forecast satellite and rain imagery from the world's most accurate forecaster (The Weather Company) shows rain gradually easing in #Otago over the next 12 to 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/htlHYzk6UF

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 3, 2024

☔️More rain is on the way for #Otago.

Check your local https://t.co/D35ySCkVqG rain graphs to see when it likely eases where you are today and latest rainfall estimates. pic.twitter.com/mZyZW1tArf

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 3, 2024

Let’s get into the forecast for Friday to begin with…

RAIN:
Heavy rain continues around coastal and eastern Otago and eastern/coastal Southland – MetService has a RED WARNING in place for this event which means flooding is highly possible. Elsewhere many other regions are dry or mainly dry with most wet weather clearing for a time.

WIND:
The rain in the lower South Island is being fed in by an easterly flow, elsewhere winds are light and generally drifting in from the north to north-west.

TEMPERATURES:
Most places are average or warmer than average today.

WEEKEND AND NEXT WEEK:
This weekend the low moves in to NZ from the Tasman Sea bringing further rain and showers to the western side – and then it falls apart, leaving a showery north-westerly flow in it’s wake, especially over the North Island. Lighter winds for the South Island on Saturday and much of the rain clears, especially around Otago – which is good news.

This westerly set-up carries on into Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with a low south of the country on Wednesday likely returning rain to the West Coast and windier westerlies over the North Island, thanks to high pressure north of NZ.

Keep up to date with MetService warnings and watches – and as always, drill down deeper with your hyper-local, hourly, 10 day forecasts at WeatherWatch.co.nz – or download our Free WeatherWatch App.