As we said the other day, August’s warmer than average weather means we shouldn’t expect a dramatic change in our weather conditions for the start of Spring, but a gradual change will be coming later in the month.

Winter is ending on an average note – a cold southerly on Thursday dropped temperatures on Friday to average or slightly below average.  Today, Saturday, they have bounced back to normal for August for most regions.

The week ahead sees a high controlling our weather but another cold change coming around Wednesday.  It will be similar in nature to the cold snap we just had – but with a little more ‘oomph’.  A brief burst of icy winds in the south, a southerly flow which will eventually affect all of New Zealand and some snow on the ranges of both islands – including all our ski fields.

Snow may fall as low as 200 metres in the Deep South – but don’t expect much and don’t expect it to linger.  Drier, sunnier, weather is expected for many areas within 24 to 36 hours of the southerly.

Meanwhile the rest of spring sees our run of northern low pressure systems finally come to an end.  This weekend is the fifth consecutive weekend that a low in the upper North Island has affected the weather.  Today it’s bringing a stunning end to winter for the North island, unless you live along the east coast from Gisborne to Wellington, where it’s cloudy or showery in that south east wind flow.

By mid-September expect a good mixture of westerly quarter winds and some solid highs moving in.

Windier westerlies – bang on time for the equinox at the end of September – will also rise up and dominate the country more as we head towards the middle/end of the month.

Image / Zelda Wynn

By Philip Duncan, WeatherWatch.co.nz