New Zealand has a more wintry change at times in the lower South Island mid to late this week and again on Saturday – but conditions will ease this weekend as high pressure approaches.

A typical mid to late spring cold front will move up NZ today and Wednesday, leaving a cooler southerly flow behind it which doesn’t fade out until this weekend.

It fades out this weekend due to incoming high pressure from Australia which is bringing much more settled and dry weather to south and south eastern states – but is encouraging windier easterlies from about the NSW/QLD border northwards with more rain and thunderstorms across parts of QLD (especially coastal areas).