Low pressure lingers for one more day but by Friday it will be clearing eastwards placing NZ between air pressure systems (with the departing low to our east and a powerful high well out to our west near Tasmania).

This means a windy, cooler, sou’west flow kicks in across the country as we go into the weekend with snow flurries on the southern ranges and generally a fairly typical late Autumn set-up.

Rain for Thursday in the eastern North Island moves up the eastern coastline with some heavy falls and then clears going into Friday, with showers shifting to the western and southern sides of the nation. A few lingering showers remain in the eastern North Island on Friday but they are clearing as the day wears on.

Wind on Thursday will be mostly south-easterly, southerly and south-westerly for the North Island. The South Island has lighter more variable winds. On Friday the southerly quarter wind goes nationwide as the low departs and the high pressure zone starts to build.