It’s a wet and windy start to the week for much of the country, with wind gusts of up to 90km/h on the cards for the upper North Island this evening.
It comes after a low-pressure system centred west of Taranaki, with especially persistent and heavy rain for the south coast of the North Island, according to MetService.
The big wet will be followed by clear skies for much of the working week, as the persistent rain eases this afternoon.
But it’s not over yet for the North Island, with further showers and gusty winds expected as the low beings to traverse the country.
“The passage of the low brings a risk of thunderstorms and hail for much of the North Island, with the risk mainly inland for areas south of the Bay of Plenty. Auckland and Northland could see strong wind gusts of 90 km/h this evening,” MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon said.
It’s a fine day further south, but an approaching cold front will bring rain with snow to 800 metres over the Deep South tonight. As the front sweeps northwards over the country tomorrow, colder temperatures will be noticeable, alongside a period of rain for eastern areas.
As skies clear and winds ease, the cold air will linger as the last lashings of winter continue to be felt.
Frosts are in store for the South Island and interior North Island, and daytime temperatures in the east are expected to be 4-6C below their October averages, she said.
“We expect this fine weather to stick around for much of the working week, before taking a wetter turn over the upper South Island on Friday.”