Here’s what is making the weather headlines today.

VERY UNSETTLED TODAY

We have the full menu on order today, strong winds, thunderstorms, hail, rain, showers, snow falling about the ranges too. If you are trying to find a long period of dry weather, I wouldn’t look very hard unless you are in Gisborne.

Keep up to date with any warnings from Metservice here. Also check out the possibilities regarding thunderstorms here.

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PERSISTENT SOUTHWESTERLY AIRFLOW TO STAY WITH US FOR A WHILE

Saturday through to Wednesday next week the airflow over New Zealand sticks to the southwest, Thursday it may tend more to the south then finally on Friday we see an anticyclone move in with settled frosty weather likely to develop.

With the southwesterlies showers are going to often be present in the west and about the far south, later on Sunday showers push up the eastern side of the country though and a few start creeping into eastern regions again into the second half of Wednesday.

If skies are clear and winds are light frosty conditions may develop during this period, more so in the east.

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RAIN OUTLOOK

The map below shows that western regions and the far south are going to be wetter than elsewhere over the next 7 days. A chunk of the lower South Island could be a little drier than average though and perhaps Northland in the north.

In regards to South Westland and why it may be a little drier there, as fronts move through showers look to clear South Westland fairly quickly and linger a bit longer further north. South Canterbury in general never really benefits from southwesterlies with that corner of the country remaining fairly dry in such airflow’s.

Northland being the last part of the country these fronts visit means by the time they get there they can weaken a bit meaning shower or rain activity isn’t as plentiful as further south, especially eastern Northland.