Friday is basically a repeat of yesterday’s weather with perhaps a few more showers crossing over the North Island, but again it’s mostly westerly driven across New Zealand.

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

RAIN:
The direction of the airflow into New Zealand today means once again the western side of the North Island is exposed to showers. Further south and rain sets in to the West Coast later – and a few showers will also make it into Southland and spillover into western Otago. Snow will fall again on the southern end of the Southern Alps. Eastern areas across much of the country will remain dry or mainly dry for Friday (and the weekend).

WIND:
West to North-West winds will blow across much of the country again on Friday with stronger winds through central New Zealand, the Southern Alps, and to those parts of the North Island most exposed to westerlies. (Check your hourly WeatherWatch local forecast if you’re unsure).

TEMPERATURES:
Again those westerlies across the country bring a fairly classic temperature spread with mildest weather in the north and east of both islands and coolest weather in the south of the South Island and inland (around Otago for example).

WEEKEND:
Saturday has milder west to north-west winds in the North Island (sub-tropical for a time over the North Island). Those nor’westers pick up in the lower South Island and track northwards. Many places are dry or mainly dry on Saturday but wet weather is most likely around Fiordland and south Westland and that will set in and move northwards later and may also spillover into parts of Southland and Otago.

On Sunday the north-west wind flow picks up a notch, another surge of wet weather moves in from the Tasman Sea to western NZ with showers for many places, and rain is most likely again around the West Coast. Eastern areas are again dry for the most part.

Monday and Tuesday kick off with a few western showers and those westerlies easing – and by Wednesday next week a high pressure zone may well be, briefly, parked over NZ bringing lighter winds and mostly dry weather.

• As always drill down deeper with your hyper-local, hourly, 10 day forecasts at WeatherWatch.co.nz – or download our Free WeatherWatch App.