A ridge of high pressure to the south-west of New Zealand is set to keep a cap on the temperatures today and drop some snow in the mountains, as a resulting south to south-east wind swirls in off the Southern Ocean.

Across the North Island, sunshine for Northland and partly cloudy skies elsewhere should be the theme for our Sunday, with some scattered afternoon showers likely to pop up throughout inland regions, including Waikato and possibly Auckland late in the day. The South and East however, from East Cape down to Wellington can expect a mostly cloudy, drizzly day ahead thanks to our cooling Southerly airflow.

Temperatures in Wellington are likely to be around a ‘not-so-summery’ high of just 14 degrees.

Those in the South Island will certainly feel the bite of the southerly flow today, with periods of rain moving north and easing about Otago during the morning but persisting in Canterbury for most of the day. Heavy falls are possible about inland areas, with snow set to fall as low as 800m about the Mackenzie district up to Mid-Canterbury.

Showers are also expected to develop across much of the West Coast, Nelson/Tasman and Marlborough through the day. The far south, while avoiding the rain, should remain mostly cloudy and rather cold.

Daily highs will be well below average for the time of year, with 12 degrees expected in Dunedin and just 8-10 degrees throughout Central Otago.

• By Jono Hartland

• WeatherWatch.co.nz