High pressure slips off the North Island this morning as a storm near southern NZ tracks past.

Showers move in from the west with only low totals in places like Auckland, Northland and most other eastern areas of both islands. However, there is a moderate risk of an isolated thunderstorm in the west (including Auckland in the afternoon).

Heavy rain on the West Coast will continue most, if not all, of today with snow on the mountain tops.

Strong northerly quarter winds in some regions will turn more westerly. Cook Strait and Wellington may have some gusts rising over gale force.

The centre of this Southern Ocean storm will be moving away to our south by tonight which will bring in a more spring-like/autumn-like westerly flow in on Monday.

NEXT STORM:
– Severe gales ramp up on Tuesday in a number of regions.
– An unseaonable cold change arrives on Wednesday in the south.
– More details here (please note, we’ll have a fresh update issued before noon Sunday with updated maps).