It’s been a while since many of us saw this!  Photo by weather watcher Laura Jerome.   Have photos of today’s weather?  Share them with us! Send them to: wwphotos@radionetwork.co.nz

New Zealand has been waiting a very long time for this and finally it’s arriving – a large high pressure system will start to spread on to the country today bringing with it light winds and plenty of sunny weather for the next few days. The anticyclone is summer-like in its size and strength and should mean a good chance for water-logged regions to begin drying out. “The weekend is looking very settled with warm northerlies picking up over the South Island and mainly clear skies with light winds over the North Island” says head weather analyst Philip Duncan.

Despite the big area of high pressure Philip Duncan says not all areas will have clear blue skies. “It’s a bit of a myth that high pressure systems always mean clear blue skies. For coastal regions such as Auckland low cloud can often get trapped under them – especially in winter.  This is called ‘anticyclonic gloom’.  Basically it’s caused by the warmer sea waters creating low cloud which gets trapped under the ‘lid’ of high pressure.  It can even create drizzle or light showers in coastal areas. Inland areas are the best places to be for the sunniest weather”.

But Mr Duncan says even though the skies may not be perfectly clear for some it will still be a good chance to dry out. “It’s going to be mostly dry and although the nights will be cool again the day time highs will be pushing into the mid to late teens for many”.

And if you think just because it’s still winter you’re safe from the sun you might want to think again. “Over northern New Zealand, from about Auckland northwards, the UV index is already reading about 4 or 5 – which is moderate – that means during the middle of the day you should seek shade as the sun can cause skin damage”.

Winter officially comes to an end in New Zealand on Sunday and the forecast is looking mostly sunny with northerlies becoming strong over the South Island. “At this stage the first day of spring may be quite a typical one with gusty warm winds over the South Island, sunny, mild, conditions over central New Zealand and partly cloudy weather with north easterlies over the upper North Island”.