More Spring Westerlies

More Spring Westerlies

"The westerlies should dominate New Zealand's weather for much of the working week," commented Peter Kreft, MetService's Chief Forecaster.

Tuesday's weather should be reasonably benign, though westerly gales are expected in central Hawkes Bay early in the day.

On Wednesday, heavy rain is expected on the West Coast of the South Island as a northwest flow strengthens. Strong winds are likely in eastern areas from about Canterbury to Gisborne, where temperatures are expected to nudge into the twenties, and around Wellington

"Rain and strong winds are likely over much of the North Island for a time on Thursday," Kreft went on to say. "Thursday also sees strong, cold, showery southwesterlies spreading across a large part of the country, bringing the possibility of snow in southern New Zealand and another burst of large sea waves along western and southern coasts."

The weather for Labour Weekend is still a little early to call. "It's a question of whether or not we see a break-down in the westerly pattern," said Kreft. This will be clearer in a couple of days' time."

Keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings at Metservice.com or on mobile devices at m.metservice.com. You can also follow our updates @metservice on Twitter or watch the latest weather videos on MetService TV.

© Scoop Media