MetService is warning of a wild week of weather for much of the country as a low-pressure system brings strong winds, heavy rain and even some snow for some areas.
The forecaster this afternoon said a "busy" stretch of weather was on the way, but the South looks set to be spared the worst.
After an already wet month, Northland will see pockets of heavier rain on Tuesday, while Canterbury will see heavy rain from mid-week.
Unseasonal snow is expected for inland Canterbury on Wednesday and Thursday, MetService said, while wild winds were expected for eastern and central parts of the country from Wednesday, with disruptive southerlies expected to surge through Wellington.
"Everyone is going to get a bit of something this week – there will be some sun, lots of rain and strong winds, and even some snow coming our way, as a low-pressure system passes right over central Aotearoa New Zealand," MetService meteorologist Dom Barry said.
For the North Island, Barry said Northland, Auckland and Coromandel could expect wet and windy conditions from tomorrow, with heavy rain and thunderstorms expected for the northern most regions.
The South Island's West Coast will also see some heavy falls, while remaining areas of both islands have some cloud about, with the showers in the east.
Heavy rain would be hauled across much of the country heading into Wednesday by a low-pressure system set to track across the central North Island, Barry said.
Some of that rain would fall as snow above 600 metres in parts of the South Island.
Thunderstorms were expected for parts of Northland through to Thursday, which may bring periods of more intense rainfall to localised areas.
“For already sodden areas, particularly in the Far North, more heavy rain may bring impacts such as flash flooding, rivers to rise dangerously high and hazardous driving conditions," Barry said.
"It is imperative people stay up to date with the latest forecasts, and listen for any advice from local Civil Defence agencies."
He said heavy rain watches were in place for Northland and Canterbury, and it was likely more alerts - including road snow warnings - would be issued.
Going into Thursday the low was expected to linger east of Wairarapa, driving "very strong and disruptive southerlies up Cook Strait and possibly into Wellington".
"These winds will be very strong, even for Wellingtonians’ standards. Couple this with a very high tide (king tide), low pressure and heavy swell, we could see coastal inundation in the south.
“These very strong winds will be disruptive for travel in the Wellington and Marlborough regions on Wednesday evening and into Thursday. It won’t be a day to cycle to work – work from home or take the bus,” Barry said.
Strong winds would also affect Canterbury into Thursday, and would be felt west of the Main Divide at times.
Barry said temperatures would remain warmer than average overnight for many places though to Wednesday, "before things cool off come Thursday".
The South
MetService's seven-day forecast shows southerlies and rain for Dunedin on Thursday with a high of 11C. Inland, Alexandra gets southerlies on Wednesday into Thursday, with highs around 10C, while Wanaka gets showers on Thursday with a high of 9C.
Overnight temperatures take a dip in inland Otago, dropping to low single-digits midweek.
