A westerly airflow covers New Zealand on Monday as a large anticyclone is centred west of the North Island in the Tasman Sea. Meanwhile a front lies across the lower South Island during the day.

For the upper North Island conditions are mainly dry, expect a mix of sun and cloud. Cloud may be thicker in the morning. Expect southwesterly breezes.

West to southwesterly winds for the lower North Island in the west, once again mainly dry with a mix of sun and cloud. Out east conditions are sunny with light winds in the morning, an afternoon sea breeze develops along the coast.

Mostly cloudy for the West Coast of the South Island with occasional showers, rain for Fiordland with heavy falls at times and the chance of a thunderstorm. Winds breezy from the west. The east coast has mainly sunny weather with gusty northwesterly winds, a touch of high cloud about.

Showers develop about Southland in the morning, the odd heavy fall possible. Otago is dry at first then showers move in during the afternoon as northwesterly winds tend gusty westerly.

WeatherWatch.co.nz

Image – Monday 4pm, 16th January 2017 rain / MSLP map – weathermap.co.nz