If you’re in the North Island the clouds are thickening and offshore showers are drifting closer, while those in the South Island are starting to see winds rise ahead of a cold change coming in tomorrow.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says windier weather is starting to shift into Southland, Otago, Canterbury and Wellington as well as their neighbours, and while the winds in most places aren’t defined as “strong” yet, that will change overnight and across Sunday.

In the North Island clouds arrived earlier than predicted in Auckland today.  The cloudy weather predicted by forecasters to arrive on Saturday night instead arrived on Saturday morning  and has lead to a mostly overcast Saturday.  The clouds arrived earlier due to a stronger than expected westerly flow yesterday which pushed Tasman Sea clouds closer to the island.

But the main event – which arrives tomorrow – is still developing in the Southern Ocean.  While the system is well below any warning thresholds, it’s liklely to be yet another summer weather annoyance.

Latest data by WeatherWatch.co.nz suggests Southland will climb to only 12 to 14 degrees on Sunday and further north on Monday Wellington will only reach 16 or 17 degrees.

Of course those temperatures don’t reflect the wind chill which – in the southerly – will knock around 3 degrees off those temperatures in the wind.

Some mid-summer snow is also predicted across the Southern Alps.

– Homepage image / Sam Sword

– WeatherWatch.co.nz