A cold front moves slowly northwards over the upper South Island in the morning on Friday then pushing onto the lower North Island during the afternoon before heading northwards overnight. This front clears the North Island on Saturday morning off to the northeast while the rest of the country settles in under an anticyclone.

Cloudy areas for the western North Island today, risk of a shower or drizzle patch about then later in the evening / overnight a band of rain moves over. Mainly dry in the east, rain moves into the Wairarapa in the afternoon then pushing northwards overnight. Rain eases for the upper South Island in the west during the morning, taking a bit longer to ease further east with a chance of a few heavy falls lingering about Marlborough till evening. Snow above 700m about the Canterbury high country could be heavy for a time then easing from afternoon.

Early rain clearing most of the northeastern North Island on Saturday then sunny spells break through, rain may be heavy in the morning about Gisborne then quickly easing. Early showers clear the lower western North Island then sunny areas increase. The South Island has areas of cloud and occasional sun, cloud may be thicker in most places morning and night, watch for the risk of an isolated shower late afternoon / evening mainly about inland areas.

By Weather Analyst Aaron Wilkinson – WeatherWatch.co.nz