The end of the week spells the end of warm, settled weather – with the large high pressure system that’s been shielding us from a wet front and a low moving away.

That means there’s heavy rain and some strong winds on the way for the weekend – particularly in the North Island and the top of the South Island coming up.

Thursday

Blue: Heavy spells of rain on the West Coast of the South Island and parts of the eastern North Island

Friday

Purple: Strong southwesterly winds about the east coast of the South Island

A ridge of high pressure moves in on Friday, meaning most of the country stays relatively calm, settled and clear heading into the weekend.

Saturday

Purple: Strong northeast winds over much of the North Island and the Tasman & Marlborough regions

Blue: Heavy rain in the Upper and Lower North Island

A large low moves towards New Zealand from the Tasman Sea, resulting in a strengthening northeasterly airflow over the country – especially the North Island – meaning strong northeast winds over most of the North Island.
Rain moves onto the North Island from around midday also, becoming heavy for some – particularly in the upper and lower parts of the island – as well as Tasman and the Marlborough Sounds at times.

– Please note, the idea behind this update is to focus on the main weather highlights, which is why not all regions are mentioned. 

For specific 10 day information for your city, town, rural community or island please see the 1000 forecasts on our homepage!

– Aaron Wilkinson & Drew Chappell, WeatherWatch.co.nz