Don't put away your brollies just yet - there's wet weather making a beeline for the country this week.
Heavy rain is expected to batter Northland, Bay of Plenty and central North Island ranges this afternoon.
It should ease overnight but more rain is on the radar for Thursday and Friday, forecasters say.
Metservice meteorologist Ciaran Doolin said Aucklanders should expect some wet weather this afternoon but it should clear overnight for a brief reprieve in the middle of the week.
"It looks like the rain bands are directly over [Auckland] and the webcams look very bleak indeed," he said.
"Basically we're expecting things to ease this afternoon then clear this evening. There's the possibility of a few showers tomorrow and Wednesday but in terms of the most persistent precipitation it'll be Friday really. It's pretty unsettled this week."
A cold front was also expected to move up the South Island tomorrow morning and on to the North Island in the afternoon, Mr Doolin said.
There was the possibility of frosts overnight on Wednesday and Thursday as well, he said.
"It's not going to drop down a huge amount but it is going to be chillier than it has been over the last couple of days," he said.
"Going into Wednesday it's probably looking like the better day of the week, there'll probably be bits of blue sky across most of the country, however there is going to still be a few showers around," he said.
A series of fronts moving onto the country on Thursday would make the weather deteriorate for most areas going into the weekend, Mr Doolin said.
There was also a chance of severe gales in Wellington, Marlborough Sounds and Wairarapa on Friday, he said.
WeatherWatch head analyst Philip Duncan said southwest winds blowing in would bring cooler temperatures on Tuesday.
He said Wednesday would see relatively clear weather for most of the country.
"It's not cold...but it is back to about average for this time of week. And as a result we've got average conditions," he said.
A severe weather watch has been issued by Metservice for heavy rain in Northland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato down to Taranaki and across to Tongariro National Park this afternoon.
Northland police are urging motorists to take care on the roads this afternoon, with rain making driving "treacherous".
There were three crashes in Northland this morning - the first on State Highway 14 near Dargaville, followed by one on the Brynderwyn Hills and one at Bulls Gorge near Kerikeri.
Northland road policing manager Inspector Wayne Ewers said motorists needed to slow down and leave an appropriate following distance.
The area had experienced a number of fine days in the last few weeks so today's rain had made the roads more slippery, he said.
"The posted speed limit is not a target and it takes a lot longer to stop if you have to put the brakes on when driving on a wet road," Mr Ewers said.
Tuesday forecast:
*Dunedin: Mainly fine with spots of evening rain. High 18C, low 9C. On Tuesday, morning showers then fine. High 15C, low 6C.
*Auckland: Cloudy periods with the chance of showers. High 18C, low 13C.
*Hamilton: Cloudy periods with the chance of showers. High 19C, low 9C.
*Wellington: Fine with evening showers. High 18C, low 9C.
*Christchurch: Cloud and a few showers. High 20C, low 7C.
(Source: Metservice)
- Lauren Priestley of NZME News Service
