A large anticyclone starts to shunt eastwards today letting in a north to northwesterly airflow over the South Island. A front pushes northwards over the South Island on Friday, weakening as it goes. A ridge lies over the South Island with the aforementioned front arriving about the lower North Island overnight.

Mostly sunny for the North Island on Thursday, some morning cloud possible mainly in the northeast. Risk of an isolated shower late afternoon / evening about inland parts of the lower North Island otherwise mainly dry. Mostly sunny for the South Island with areas of high cloud, cloud gradually thickens about Fiordland with a few showers there later in the evening.

A northwesterly airflow lies over the North Island on Friday, expect some cloud in the west with sunnier conditions out east. There may be a light shower or two in the morning for Taranaki and Kapiti then overnight further rain or showers moves in. Rain pushes northwards over the West Coast of the South Island, heavy about South Westland but easing as it moves northwards. Gusty northwesterlies in the east but a cool southwest change moves in bringing rain or showers to Southland and Otago in the morning then Canterbury in the afternoon.

By Weather Analyst Aaron Wilkinson – WeatherWatch.co.nz