Cloudy over the North Island with showers in the west including Wellington, more persistent rain with heavy falls about Taranaki and north of Auckland early this morning spreading to the Central North Island by midday. Winds will be gusty from the northeast at first then winds change strong westerly in the afternoon with rain easing to showers.

Thunderstorms may affect eastern Northland around midday spreading to Coromandel in the afternoon then across to East Cape in the evening. Late evening about Wellington winds change strong southwest. Dry at first on the east coast with northeasterlies increasing and showers by late morning, winds change breezy northwesterly in the evening with showers clearing.

Cloudy over the South Island also today although the southwestern corner will brighten up after midday. Rain on the West Coast and in Nelson with northeasterlies, heavy falls about Nelson through to Buller. Around midday rain clears from Fiordland and South Westland with a few sunny breaks developing as winds tend southwesterly, rain eases to showers further north along the coast and rain eases then clears later in the evening in Nelson.

Cloudy in Marlborough with light northeasterlies and rain possibly heavy, winds change brisk southwest in the evening with rain clearing about the Wairau Valley however continuing on the coast. Dry at first in Canterbury with light winds, southwesterlies freshen from afternoon with showers, southwesterlies becoming brisk at night for a time. A few showers in Southland and Otago mainly from afternoon with southwesterlies freshening during the day, long dry spells too particularly in the morning.

14 to 16 degrees for most in the North Island today, 13 to 14 about Taranaki through to Wellington, the Central North Island and Wairarapa however. 12 to 14 degrees expected through most of the South Island, lower temperatures about Southland through to Canterbury, 14 degree figures elsewhere.

WeatherWatch.co.nz