Good morning – High pressure lies north-west and north-east of NZ today as a weak low pressure zone clears to the east of central NZ and a large storm churns away well south of the country, near Antarctica. The Southern Ocean storm won’t hit NZ but this set-up keeps our country in the spring-like westerly flow for the final days of October – and for the start of November.

Let’s get into the forecast for Wednesday to begin with…

RAIN:
Wet weather, mostly in the form of showers and a few isolated downpours, move over the North Island today, with even a small amount making it into some dry eastern areas – but not much sorry. Apart from a few isolated showers on the West Coast and maybe Southland, the South Island remains mostly dry.

WIND:
Westerly quarter winds for most places today with more of a southerly flow into Wellington for a time. Winds aren’t too strong today but may be a bit brisk in some exposed parts of the North Island as that weak low starts to move away east of us.

TEMPERATURES:
It’s cooler today in the North Island but about the same in the South Island, some places may even be a touch warmer.

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DAYS AHEAD
On Thursday the westerly quarter winds over NZ ramp up further, with northerlies returning to the capital and showers continuing for parts of the West Coast and Southland.

On Friday severe weather risks increase with heavy West Coast rain, strong to gale spring nor-westers through the upper South Island and very lower North Island.

By Saturday that western rain band moves into the North Island’s west and mostly falls apart to showers with a cooler sou-west flow spreading up the South Island and more wet weather in Southland, the West Coast and even Otago.

On Sunday high pressure briefly moves in with increased settled weather. Don’t get too excited for the calmer, drier weather though…

…because Monday & Tuesday next week look to kick off with another enormous Southern Ocean storm well south of NZ – but big enough to help bring yet another spring-surge of severe gales to parts of the country and more heavy West Coast rain.

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