• STORY HIGHLIGHTS
• A number of fronts to move across the country this week
• Winds will reach severe gale in southern and eastern areas of both islands.
• Daytime highs across NZ range from 10 to 20 degrees.

A number of fronts will race across the country this week as a huge pool of low pressure brushes us from the Southern Ocean.  Severe gales, heavy rain and a wide range of high temperatures are all in the forecast as the week continues.

Conditions will go down-hill quickly today with sunny skies over Auckland expected to go soon, winds to strengthen to severe gale about Wellington and temperatures jumping in Christchurch from just 3 degrees (currently) to the mid to late teens this afternoon.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says we’re seeing some big lows developing south of New Zealand and large highs in the north lately.  “It’s really a battle for dominance with the highs in the north now wanting to push further south for Summer while the lows in the south are trying to hold on to winter and continue to push north.  It’s this battle that makes the strong northerlies or westerlies over New Zealand”.

Places like Southland, coastal Otago, Canterbury, Wellington and Wairarapa are most exposed to the gales. 

And it’ll be warm in some areas this week, cold in others.  Temperatures will reach the 20 degrees mark in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne possibly today and tomorrow then again later in the week but places like Southland and even Wellington will be lucky to reach 10 or 11 tomorrow.

Winds will swing from north to south then back to north this week.  Western areas should see slightly lower temperatures with places south of Taranaki only making it into the lower to mid teens.  Northern regions will be around the 16 to 18 degree mark.

By Friday and Saturday we’ll get a strong high in the north and a deep low in the south causing another windy weekend with cloud and showers likely in the west.  More details as the week progresses.