Weather Watch: Farewell Wilma

High air pressure will act as a brick wall, blocking the next set of tropical activity from reaching New Zealand, which means the sun may appear more often. Photo / Thinkstock

Wilma has now well and truly gone, absorbed into the roaring 40s to bring more gales and rain to the South Ocean - and it's this part of the world that is now going to start affecting our weather in what is a big shift from our January weather pattern.

The change will be a positive one for those in the upper North Island who have faced four tropical lows in just three weeks.

The shift means a low chance of sub-tropical systems affecting New Zealand into the first week of February. The long range weather maps and data show a big increase in air pressure across the upper North Island and north of New Zealand. High air pressure will act as a brick wall, blocking the next set of tropical activity from reaching New Zealand.

Wilma was just one of many cyclone so far in this very active cyclone season - and we're only now heading into its peak.

Check out the 60+ photos of cyclone Wilma that were sent in to us.

On Thursday WeatherWatch.co.nz was the first news organisation in Australasia to predict and cover the impending cyclone which Queensland authorities say could be worse than the recent flooding across Brisbane and other parts of Queensland.

Australian authorities warn the future cyclone may be a Category 4 storm based on modelling from the past week, current sea surface temperatures in the Coral Sea and the developing weather pattern over New Zealand which will help guide the storm directly into Queensland.

Here in New Zealand the change in weather pattern will mean a few significant changes.

Firstly the high air pressure in the north will stop the tropical and sub-tropical rain makers from moving into northern New Zealand.

Secondly the westerly flow across the country will mean more wet spells for the South Island's West Coast.

Thirdly the weather pattern will be windier and more "spring like". More rain on the West Coast, cooler in places like Auckland, hotter in the east and windier everywhere.

This is certainly an extreme summer weather-wise.