A ridge of high pressure holds for the rest of the working week, bringing settled conditions for most says MetService, but this gives way to a wet and windy weekend, especially for western areas.

Many areas across Aotearoa will see plenty of blue sky for the rest of the working week. Morning cloud, and a possible shower for some coastal areas will give way to bright afternoons. The settled weather won’t continue for long as the remnants of a low pressure system in the Tasman Sea moves across the country during the weekend.

Northwesterlies will develop across the South Island overnight Friday, dragging humid and wet conditions onto the west coast. MetService Meteorologist Ashlee Parkes elaborates; “Westland and Fiordland will see persistent, heavy rain and strong winds develop during Saturday. Wellington will also see winds increase throughout Saturday evening.”

Most other areas will begin to cloud over and feel the humidity rise during Saturday. Those attending the Super Rugby final in Christchurch on Saturday are in for a decent evening. Parkes explains “Christchurch will begin to cloud over in the afternoon and a northerly breeze will develop. There is a possibility of a shower or two being dragged across from the west, but it should otherwise be a good evening for the game”.

Some may experience a clammy night on Saturday thanks to the moist northwesterly flow. Temperatures on Sunday are also forecasted to push into the 20’s across the eastern South Island due to this warming wind. Kaikoura and Christchurch are expected to reach a high of 25C, with Dunedin and Alexandra close behind with 22C.

The wet weather will spread onto the southwestern North Island on Sunday. Periods of rain are forecast for the Waikato south through to Wellington. Those further north in Auckland and Northland will only see a few showers. “If you are wanting to take mum out for a Mother's Day brunch, the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne are the places to be, with some high cloud and dry conditions expected” Parkes explains.

Scattered falls will push across into the eastern South Island on Sunday, but unfortunately not everyone will see decent rainfall. “Eastern areas are sheltered by the Southern Alps in these moist northwestrerly flows, so rainfall will be patchy and some already dry areas unfortunately might not see any” says Parkes. Unsettled conditions are expected to continue into early next week for many so keep up to date with the latest forecasts.

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