KEY POINTS:
Despite the start of spring being just a few weeks away, rain, rain and more rain is forecast for Auckland this week.
MetService expected a mix of showers and fine spells, with cool, gusty southwesterly winds from today until Wednesday. It said there was a good chance of fine weather for Thursday but rain was predicted late on Friday - just in time for the weekend.
It follows almost a week of solid rain and wet weekends in the north for the past month.
MetService figures showed last Monday was the last day no rain fell at Auckland Airport, with the 17.6mm on Saturday the highest reading of the week.
Meanwhile, the wintry weather has been biting in the South Island.
The MetService yesterday warned farmers to monitor vulnerable stock and drivers to take care on the roads as a cold front was expected to bring more snow to the South Island over the next few days. A frozen runway yesterday temporarily closed Queenstown airport, but no flights were affected.
MetService forecaster Mark Pascoe said up to 20cm of snow could fall as low as 300m above sea level with eastern parts of Otago copping it this morning before the Banks Peninsula get their turn later today.
The mountain passes are also set for a dusting with MetService predicting snow on the Lindis and Porters Pass. The Milford Rd could also get 2cm.
Further north, the Desert Rd is set to get a blanket of up to 4cm of snow at the summit today and more could fall tonight.
The Radio Network's weather analyst Philip Duncan said a low "the size of Australia" was still passing over New Zealand.
"As we go into Monday we're seeing the tail of this low moving across us - and that means cold southerlies," Mr Duncan said.
He said Dunedin and Canterbury could expect the odd snow flurry and hail storm
"Day time highs in the South Island and up to Wellington will mostly be around 7 or 8 for the next few days. Other centres in the North will just scrape into double digits with even Aucklanders feeling the pinch," Mr Duncan said.
He said while much of the country felt the cold, parts of Northland, the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Rotorua, Gisborne and Nelson would be in the sun.
- NZHERALD STAFF
