A ridge covers the upper South Island and North Island today bringing mainly settled weather, a northerly airflow picks up for the lower South Island. A cold front slowly pushes northwards over the South Island on Wednesday, northwesterlies ahead of this front then changing southwest in behind. A ridge of high pressure slowly loses its grip further north.

Mostly sunny for a majority of the North Island today, some morning cloud possible in the east, perhaps an early shower for Gisborne. A few clouds drifting in at times from the Tasman into Auckland and Northland. Cloud thickens along the South Island’s West Coast, rain or showers move in late afternoon or evening. Spots of rain possible about Southland early morning then mainly dry, mostly sunny elsewhere.

A mix of sun and cloud for the upper North Island on Wednesday, sunny skies in the east (Gisborne to Wairarapa). Cloudy periods from Taranaki through to Kapiti, may be a shower or two at times also. Rain for the South Islands West Coast, heavy about South Westland with heavy falls and a chance of thunderstorms, heavy falls push northwards in the evening. Rain moves into the lower South Island around midday with a southwest change, pushing into Canterbury in the evening.

By Weather Analyst Aaron Wilkinson – WeatherWatch.co.nz