A westerly airflow lies over New Zealand on Thursday with a front moving onto the lower South Island in the evening.

Sunny spells and some high cloud with west to southwesterly winds for the upper North Island. The Bay Of Plenty is mostly sunny with southwesterlies tending light northerly for a time in the afternoon. Sunny spells with west to northwesterly winds for the lower western North Island, cloud thickens overnight.

Sunny with afternoon east to northeasterly winds along the east coast. Sunny spells for Wellington with freshening north to northwesterly winds, becoming strong through Cook Strait.

Sunny with northwesterlies picking up in the afternoon for Marlborough. Nelson is mainly sunny also with morning southwesterlies then afternoon northerlies. A sunny day with northwesterly winds in Canterbury, gusty about inland areas in the afternoon. Overnight showers with a southwest change.

Mostly cloudy with showers for South Westland, spreading northwards for a time in the evening as northwesterlies change southwest. Mostly cloudy about Southland with a few showers, some rain late afternoon / evening. Otago sees sunny areas and some high cloud then evening showers. Strong west to northwesterly winds (gale at times about coastal Southland) change southwest in the evening.