Rain, strong winds coming for long weekend, as weather turns on first day of winter

Friday, 1 June 2018

Waikato is in for one more morning frost, but it looks likely to be the last for some time.

The settled spell of weather hangs on in parts of the country for the first day of winter, but it's expected to get wet and windy during the long weekend, specially in the north.

The best chance of good conditions through to Monday seems to be in the west and south of the South Island. In contrast, rain is expected to settle into Northland on Saturday morning, accompanied by strong northeasterlies.

A front, associated with a complex low in the Tasman Sea, is forecast to move southwards over the North Island during the weekend, bringing rain and east to northeast winds to much of the North Island and upper South Island.

It's not great for the east of the South Island, either, with cloudy, drizzly, showery weather expected through to Monday.

MetService said there was a potential for heavier falls of rain and strong winds during the weekend from Northland to the Bay of Plenty and around to northern Gisborne.

'Looking ahead into the weekend rain creeps into the Far North on Saturday and moves across the North Island during Sunday,' MetService meteorologist John Law said.

'By Monday, it's generally a cloudier looking day with spells of rain over the North Island and the east of the South Island, with the chance of some heavier rain returning to the Kaikōura Coast.'

It should at least get a bit warmer, with Auckland expected to get to 18 degrees Celsius on Sunday and Monday, after only making it to 12 or 13C on several days earlier this week.

The change in night time temperatures in northern areas will be even more pronounced. After getting down toward -3C early Thursday, Hamilton's overnight minimum is expected to be no lower than 10C overnight Saturday.

Auckland is expected to stay dry on Friday but northeasterlies will develop during the day, with 16C the forecast high. On Saturday a few showers are expected to turn to rain at night and northeasterlies strengthen, Sunday's expected to have rain, easing to showers on Monday.

It was drizzling early Friday in Wellington - in fact shortly before 6.30am the city was the wettest, warmest and windiest place in New Zealand according to MetService (the coldest was Queenstown, at -2.6C). There's a risk of showers during the day, while southerlies keep the high to 12C. After missing out on the best of the past week's settled spell, the capital is being teased with the prospect of a sunny Saturday, but rain and strengthening winds are predicted to arrive on Sunday.

Christchurch is expected to be cloudy on Friday with evening drizzle and a high of 10C. The drizzle is forecast to turn to rain on Sunday, when northeasterlies are also predicted to pick up. And it's more rain and showers on Monday.