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.

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