The final hours of 2008 will be unsettled but not too miserable weather-wise according to the Weather Watch Centre’s latest New Year’s Eve forecast.

A deep low in the Southern Ocean is already impacting our weather with a number of days with hot winds from the northerly quarter over the South Island and lower North Island.

Temperatures have been in the 30s for a number of centres since the start of the weekend.

The winds are predicted to get even stronger over the next 24 hours with strong gusty conditions for central New Zealand, namely Wellington, and for the lower South Island.

A front approaching from the south west will bring rain to Southland, the West Coast and possibly much later into Nelson and maybe even as far north as Taranaki, although only drizzle is expected there if there is any precipitation at all.

Over the rest of the North Island an unsettled, humid, weather pattern should see isolated showers popping up but mixed with plenty of sun and a keen westerly or nor westerly developing.

In the east of both islands high temperatures are expected both Tuesday and Wednesday with highs closer to 30 and overnight conditions becoming warmer.

Meanwhile Monday’s low pushed rain into places that needed it most, sliding further east than last week’s low.  Heavy rain fell over eastern Coromandel and Tauranga for the morning then moved into East Cape and the Gisborne ranges later in the day.

The low is expected to slowly fall apart Tuesday leaving unstable conditions over northern New Zealand – that’s likely to mean humid weather with a few isolated heavy showers for most northern regions over the last 40 hours of 2008.

Dry weather is expected right along the nation’s east coast with any showers in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay burning off.