After several years of writing headlines, trust me, you sometimes scrape the barrel.  Fair enough to those of you who rolled your eyes, but for those who thought it was a creative headline – why, thank you!

We actually could have gone with “your guess is good as mine” because Thursday really does see a huge varierty of weather across the country – with a real spring mixture of wind, rain, sun and calm – so some locals may have a better picture for their tiny part of the world than the “generic” weather forecasts out there today.

Here’s the situation – we have a front evaporating as it pushes into a large high over the upper North Island – and that means some forecasts may change as the day wears on (mainly western/central NZ).

In Auckland mostly sunny weather will again prevail. Wednesday was an absolute stunner for the city which has been knocked around by strong winds for three weeks now and, of course, a few thunderstorms too. Today highs will reach the late teens under mostly clear skies. 

It’s the same for Hamilton and Tauranga, although highs there may reach 20 degrees for some.

But when you head further south that’s when we run in to more changeable weather.

Wellington is where the front is falling apart – so you can expect mostly cloudy weather with brisk (not gale) northerlies – could be a few spits here and there late in the day otherwise dry.

Christchurch will see weather conditions improve as the day goes on with sunnier, calmer, weather expected by afternoon.  Your high, like Auckland, is 18 degrees.

Dunedin starts off with brisk nor’easters but they too should ease as the day moves on.  Your high is 15 – enjoy it too, as a southerly arrives on Friday with a high of 12 degrees.

– Image / File, Kerry Payne

– By head weather analyst Philip Duncan, WeatherWatch.co.nz