Here’s what is making the weather headlines today….

☔️❄️🏂Rain & snow on the way this week has a westerly lean to it.

🥶Another cold front on Saturday from the west too. Eastern areas have the lowest totals.

🎥🍿Full details in our weather video out around lunchtime!

✅https://t.co/gb7E1quzdb / https://t.co/D35ySCkVqG / #IBM pic.twitter.com/WV8BViriO3

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) August 13, 2023

INSTABILITY – WEST COAST

Very cold upper air temperatures are moving over the South Island today. This combined with a westerly quarter airflow means the West Coast has a chance of thunderstorms and hail today, more so from afternoon south of about Greymouth.

Instability continues in the west again on Tuesday and perhaps Wednesday although Wednesday may be more of a western / upper North Island scenario.

Check out today’s thunderstorm outlook from Metservice here.

WARM IN THE EAST

Thanks to a northwesterly airflow temperatures for eastern regions are likely to be in the mid to late teens today, the highest highs will be for the eastern North Island, perhaps even nearly hitting 20.

The upper North Island will likely see highs in the mid teens today too, not to be left out but this part of the country warmer temperatures are to be expected this time of year.

RAIN OUTLOOK

The latest precipitation percentage of normal map shows that western regions are going to be average or wetter than would normally be expected this time of year and eastern regions drier.

This thanks to what will be a more predominately westerly quarter airflow over the next seven days.

The map below runs through to Monday 21st August. Blue coloring means that part of the country is likely to see more rainfall than would normally be expected at this time of year, red means less rainfall is expected and white is an average amount of rainfall. The more intense either red or blue then either scenario is more true.