Southwesterlies lies over the country on Saturday, a front moves onto the lower South Island late afternoon / evening, reaching the upper South Island overnight. This front pushes over the North Island on Sunday.

Showers for most of the day along the western side of the North Island on Saturday, the east coast is mostly sunny however there could be a morning shower which clears away. Showers about Fiordland spread northwards during the afternoon, turning to rain by evening and becoming heavy. The east coast has a mostly sunny day with developing high cloud, a few early showers about Banks Peninsula northwards along the coast to Marlborough then clearing. Late afternoon rain moves into Southland, spreading into Otago in the evening. Snow lowers about the far south to 300m overnight.

Showers for the western North Island on Sunday although it may be dry to start for Northland and Auckland, showers becoming heavy for a time in the morning about the southwest then afternoon further north, perhaps a risk of hail. High cloud out east with a few spots of rain spreading from the west. Showers with a risk of hail for the west and south of the South Island, sunny spells and the odd shower elsewhere. Snow flurries to low levels about the far south (200m), 300 to 400m for the upper South Island and eventually lowering to 500m later in the day about the Central Plateau.

By Weather Analyst Aaron Wilkinson – WeatherWatch.co.nz