An active spring blast is affecting New Zealand bringing heavy rain to the West Coast, strong to gale nor’westers to central and eastern districts and then later snow across the Southern Alps.

In the north of the country air pressure is higher and rain bands from the Tasman Sea are breaking apart significantly around the Waikato/Bay of Plenty/Auckland areas, mostly just a few spits and drizzly spells through these regions which barely even registers on weather stations, if at all (and this light precipitation evaporates fast in the strengthening winds). Mostly dry in the north of the North Island.

For the wettest weather the general rule is, the further south you go down the western coastline the higher the precipitation totals will be with the West Coast receiving the biggest rainfall numbers. The positive with this weather is both rain and snow melt is forecast for the hydro lakes catchment areas.

12 HOUR FORECAST RAINFALL PRECIPITATION MAPS

12 HOUR SNOWFALL MAP

– WeatherWatch.co.nz