Most areas to escape Christmas rain

With just three sleeps to go, forecasters remain optimistic most of the country will escape a soggy Christmas Day.

On the eve of the big day, the weather outlook is for light winds and fine weather with a few showers in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay and about the Wairarapa Coast. The South Island should be mainly fine with some cloud and drizzle patches developing in Fiordland.

On Christmas Day, a front is forecast to bring a brief period of rain to the west of the South Island in the morning and to central areas during the afternoon but then weaken to showers by the time it has travelled north to Taranaki later in the day.

Most eastern places in both islands should be fine but western and central areas of the country could be cloudy with some showers.

Meteorologists are forecasting a front after Boxing Day that will bring unsettled weather, but once it clears, there should be a spell of fine and settled weather for at least a few days.