Windier weather is the main feature of today with a cold front arriving in the south-west corner of the South Island this morning and clearing the upper North Island around Wednesday afternoon.

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

RAIN:
Most of the North Island is dry today, perhaps an isolated western shower or two. But rain is heavy in the southern half of the South Island’s West Coast with rain heading northwards and some snow on the southern mountains after the cold front.

WIND:
Winds are stronger today in many regions with west to north-west winds especially strong in central and eastern areas – roughly from North Canterbury through to the lower North Island. Gale and even severe gales are possible for a time.

TEMPERATURES:
Most of NZ is milder than average today with maximum temperatures into the 20s for the top and east of the North Island and the eastern South Island before that cold front arrives. (Our hourly forecasts will help you work out when the air is at its warmest today).

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WEEK AHEAD
That cold front heads up NZ today, tonight and across Wednesday with a colder south-westerly flow. The south to south-west flow behind it means showers on Wednesday are mostly focused in Southland, the West Coast and the North Island (as that cold front moves across the North Island on Wednesday, clearing in the afternoon).

On Thursday high pressure centred over the Australian side of the Tasman Sea tries to inch closer to NZ and does bring more settled weather to much of the South Island but showers or some wet weather may linger over the southern half of the North Island in particular.

Westerlies return to the South Island and lower North Island on Friday and rain sets back in to south Westland for a time – elsewhere is drier but some showers may linger in the eastern North Island thanks to a local easterly.

Get more forecast details with the FREE hyper-local, hourly, 10 day forecasts at WeatherWatch.co.nz – or download our Free WeatherWatch App.