Here’s what is making the weather headlines this weekend …

We also have special coverage on Hurricane Hilary which is approaching Mexico’s Baja Peninsula and the Southern United States. The hurricane is extremely rare and may dump 1 to 3 year’s worth of rain in just a day or two. More details here.

🌀🐾These historical tropical-storm track maps show how Pacific hurricanes track west away from the Americas & NOT north into California. Much like how cyclones in the South Pacific have a higher chance of hitting Auckland over Sydney, despite Sydney being closer to the tropics. pic.twitter.com/C0s3QN5F6z

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) August 18, 2023

Metservice have various watches and warnings out, you can see them here.

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UNSETTLED NORTH ISLAND ON SUNDAY – WARM EASTERN SOUTH ISLAND

A low brings rain to the North Island on Sunday with a few heavy falls as mentioned above, mainly for the central and parts of the upper North Island, easing overnight.

Meanwhile conditions for the east of the South Island are sunny and warm thanks to a northwesterly airflow, temperatures should reach into the mid to late teens. The computer modelled temperature map below will be undercooking the afternoon highs for the eastern South Island not factoring in the northwesterly airflow fully.

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WEATHER ON SUNDAY

A low brings unsettled weather to the North Island on Sunday with areas of heavy rain meanwhile the South Island has northwesterlies with showers in the west and drier weather in the east. A front moves into the far south in the evening.

North Island

Rain, heavy in areas with northerly winds. Rain spreads into the east coast from the west although parts of Wairarapa especially in the south may have a dry day. Rain eases in the southwest from afternoon (Taranaki through to Wellington), rain eases for Northland during the afternoon. Southwesterlies develop for Northland around midday then all of the upper North Island in the evening.

South Island

Showers along the West Coast, heavy rain for South Westland eases in the afternoon. Showers for Nelson and Marlborough clear in the morning then afternoon sun breaks through. Sunny along the east coast with warm temperatures and northwesterly winds, morning high cloud clears. Scattered rain or showers for Southland and Otago in the morning with a westerly change, clearing during the afternoon. Later in the evening showers move through the far south with a southwest change, reaching into Canterbury overnight. Overnight snow flurries lower to 400m about the far south.

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