For motorists travelling home this afternoon and tonight weather conditions are a mixed bag right across the country.  New Zealand’s most severe weather is this afternoon around the Wellington, Kapiti and Wairarapa regions.  “A southerly is blasting the area with winds gusting to almost 100km/h on the hilltops and heavy rain is currently moving up the lower North Island” says head weather analyst Philip Duncan.

Duncan says visibility may be low at times in these regions and motorists crossing the Rimutaka Ranges should take extreme care.

Winds are also picking up around Auckland with gusts to 60km/h expected to make seas choppy this afternoon for boaties.

“A band of heavy showers is also moving up the North Island’s west coast and motorists driving between King Country and Auckland will be most affected.  The showers are likely to burst out of what appears to be sunny skies so just be prepared”.  Duncan says sun showers can be very dangerous for motorists as it can impede visibility due to the glare.

Meanwhile the South Island is relatively settled this afternoon with just a few showers in northern Canterbury and the Kaikoura coast.  Temperatures in the central and lower South Island are very low too with most places only on 9 degrees at the moment.