A low pressure system lies to the west of the country today and on Thursday in the Tasman Sea, surrounding this low is a huge area of high pressure. Isolated heavy downpours / thunderstorms about some inland parts of both Islands during the afternoons.

A mix of showers and sunny spells for most of the North Island today, showers becoming heavy in the afternoon (more so in the east from Waikato through to Hawkes Bay) bringing a chance of thunder then easing later in the evening. Mostly cloudy for the eastern South Island with patchy rain or drizzle, the West Coast has cloudy areas and the odd shower. Showers becoming heavy in the afternoon about Buller with a chance of thunder then easing later in the evening. Southland and Central Otago are mostly cloudy and mainly dry, still the chance of a shower or two at times.

A very similar outlook for Thursday, dry spells will become more frequent from afternoon along the east of the South Island. Also a risk of thunderstorms develops in the afternoon for Fiordland.

By Weather Analyst Aaron Wilkinson – WeatherWatch.co.nz