A lot of low pressure will affect New Zealand in the week ahead, from a large area of Tasman Sea low pressure to a Southern Ocean storm it’s all combining to throw a fair bit of rain at us.

But our mountains and ranges play a significant role at making the rain (and snow and wind) worse for some, while others stand around whistling wondering what all the fuss is about!

To make sense of where the heaviest rain will be, here’s the next 7 day rainfall accumulation maps. One of the things yet to be locked in is the precise wind flow angle next week. At the moment one real positive for Southland is that while bitterly cold with some low level snow flurries next week, currently it looks fairly dry – so snowfall totals may not be that great. But if the wind flow changes direction slightly (more southerly) then we may see more precipitation coming into Southland and Otago – falling as snow above 100m. 

BEST PLACES TO BE NEXT FEW DAYS?
Hawke’s Bay! The weather there looks warmer than average both by day and by night with a mix of sun and cloud. Gisborne is similar. For the most part these regions look unaffected by the rain and cold. We’ll let you know if that suddenly changes. Also Whangarei may have some rain but also plenty of dry spells and mild weather too. 

– WeatherWatch.co.nz