High pressure continues to leave NZ to the east and low pressure is growing and strengthening along the western coastline of the country, and this will help feed in rain and showers to many regions.

Let’s get into the forecast for Thursday to begin with…

RAIN:
Rain and showers spread right across the nation today with heaviest falls around East Cape and the lower eastern South Island, mostly around coastal South Canterbury, coastal or eastern Otago and parts of Southland. Rain is more likely than snow for NZ’s mountains.

WIND:
Strong to gale east to south-east winds blow across the lower half of the South Island, calmer or light winds for many other places further north, and a west to north-west breezes in the upper half of the North Island.

TEMPERATURES:
Most places are average or warmer than average today.

---

DAYS AHEAD
By Friday high pressure grows around that Tasman Sea low and that helps break up the rain. Large dry areas return to the North Island and likely across the upper South Island. Rain or showers are still likely to continue in the lower half of the South Island, being driven in by an easterly with sub-tropical connections.

This weekend the low moves in to NZ from the Tasman Sea bringing rain and showers to the western side – and then it falls apart, leaving a showery north-westerly flow in it’s wake, especially over the North Island.

This westerly set-up carries on into Sunday, Monday and Tuesday with a low south of the country on Tuesday likely returning rain to the West Coast and windier westerlies over the North Island, thanks to high pressure north of NZ.

Keep up to date with MetService warnings and watches – there are a number of them – and as always, drill down deeper with your hyper-local, hourly, 10 day forecasts at WeatherWatch.co.nz – or download our Free WeatherWatch App.