Summer weather is getting closer but today’s weather has a fair amount of variety from summer-like to spring-like.

For Monday we have three things happening:

1. An area of rain and showers moves into central NZ (upper South Island, lower & central North Island)
2. A high pressure belt lies north east of NZ, pulling down sub-tropical winds to the north and keep weather mainly dry at the top of NZ and hot in the east.
3. A Storm in the Southern Ocean deepens south west of the South Island and brushes southern NZ with windy weather.

We’ll see a big variety of weather across NZ today.

HEAT:
In the east of both islands, especially Canterbury, Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, where above normal temperatures are forecast and highs may reach the 30s.

SUN:
The eastern South Island looks sunniest.

DRY:
The very north and north east of the North Island. The entire eastern South Island.

CLOUD:
All of western NZ looks cloudy today.

RAIN/SHOWERS:
The West Coast (especially south of Hokitika)

The western North Island (main risk areas: King Country, Waitomo, Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Kapiti)

COOLER AIR:
Not colder than average, but about normal due to thick cloud cover and winds off the sea, so the central and south western side of the North Island won’t be overly warm by day (but will be mild at night).

WINDIEST:
The ‘spine of the nation’ – In a fairly straight line along the Southern Alps and up and along the eastern ranges of the North Island (from Wellington to Gisborne) will see gusts into gale force, maybe severe gale. This is along the ranges.

In more populated areas Wellington and Wairarapa will be windy as will parts of Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki and down into Southland and Otago.

THE MAPS: