Mainlanders have enjoyed a recent spell of fine weather but this week it appears it’s about to change as an incoming system from the Tasman Sea may dump much of its cargo, especially in the west.

Days of endless sunshine with just a little low cloud or fog from time to time has been on the weather menu for many South Islanders of late and conditions have been more like early April.

“It’s been a fairly lengthy spell of blue skies in the main and not too much wind ” says WeatherWatch Analyst Richard Green.” It does look as if that’s about to leave us but not for too long as it seems after this damp stuff midweek sunny skies should be back by the end of the week and into the weekend here in the south ” Mr Green says. ” Even though we’re likely to see liquid sunshine at some point this week over most of the South Island, temperatures shouldn’t drop to any great degree as the winds are coming in from the north generally “.

During the weekend Christchurch saw daytime highs a couple of degrees above the May norm whereas Timaru was up to almost 5 degrees above average for late May.

WeatherWatch.co.nz believes most of the rain will fall in the west but lighter falls are expected to reach eastern areas as well.