Winter weather conditions return and peak across New Zealand today with a cold night on the way tonight. However, as early as tomorrow/Wednesday westerly winds (more like spring) will return, and those winds pick up even further into Thursday.

See MetService warnings & watches here.

❄️Latest #NewZealand #snow animation for the next 72 hours.

Snow falls at higher elevations for the North Island and lowest elevation will be in Southland/Otago.

🔵Lightest snow in pale blue
🟣Heaviest snow in pink/purple (Southern Alps main divide) pic.twitter.com/NIfC4COOFa

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) September 16, 2024

💧48 Hour Rainfall for #NewZealand: pic.twitter.com/TXmUYfyfND

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) September 16, 2024

🛰️24 Hour forecast satellite imagery from 8am today to 8am Wednesday:

💧Rain shows as dark blue
⚪️Snow shows as bright white pic.twitter.com/3crFW5noyZ

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) September 16, 2024

Let’s get into the forecast for Tuesday

RAIN:
There’s no shortage of heavy and squally showers today coming off the Tasman Sea into the western North Island in particular, some will have hail and there may be an isolated thunderstorm or two as well. Snow falls across the Central Plateau and most mountains and ranges of the North Island get a dusting of snow from Waikato southwards. In the South Island showers are most likely through Southland and the Southern Alps with snow flurries down to low levels in Southland & Otago and possibly onto the Canterbury Plains and Banks Peninsula –it’s worth noting that snow at low levels and closer to populated areas won’t likely be very much (and like rain showers, snow showers can also be hit and miss).

WIND:
West Southwest winds will gust into gale force later today through the Auckland area with the risk of isolated power outages as damaging winds may reach over 100km/h in some of those squally showers coming off the Tasman Sea. A southerly kicks into Wellington and a colder south to south easterly wind moves into the eastern North Island and also parts of the eastern South Island.

TEMPERATURES:
Most of NZ is below average today by several degrees especially in the south and east of the country, however West Coast may still be a degree or two warmer than average.

WEEK AHEAD:
Overnight tonight temperature will drop below zero across a large part of the South Island and the lower and eastern North Island.

As we go through Wednesday and Thursday more spring-like Westerly winds will return with strong and gusty conditions through the Southern Alps, Cook Strait and some exposed parts of the North Island. Snow also returns to the Southern Alps on Thursday and Friday with a burst of showers crossing the North Island with slightly cooler air, while westerlies once again pick up around the South Island – and they turn stronger north west on Saturday for the lower South Island. Winds and wet weather eases over the North Island on Saturday thanks to a small area of nearby high-pressure.

As always drill down deeper with your hyper-local, hourly, 10 day forecasts at WeatherWatch.co.nz – or download our Free WeatherWatch App.