KEY POINTS:
A big high pressure system is moving in this weekend bringing a return to light winds and plenty of sunshine for most areas.
After a week-long low brought heavy showers, gale force winds and thunderstorms to the North Island and cold southerlies to the South Island a large high is expected to move in leaving two relatively sunny days for most - and allowing that pesky wind chill to disappear!
Apart from a few morning showers on Saturday along the western coastline the weekend looks fantastic - and great for skiers too. Mt Ruapehu should be brilliant with air pressure boosting up to around 1020-1025hPa and hopefully that will ensure clear skies and little wind over the Central Plateau.
In the South Island and ski fields look good on Saturday but nor westers may start to pick up on Sunday ahead of a giant area of low pressure in the Southern Ocean.
This next low is pretty impressive - to see an image of it, click here.
But while it looks pretty scary it should mostly only affect the South Island with the centre of it travelling well south of New Zealand. High air pressure should remain over the North Island into early next week. Gales will develop in southern and inland areas of the South probably on Monday and at this stage it looks as though they may reach 130km/h in some exposed regions.
Of course these strong nor'westers will drive up the temperatures, some eastern areas of the South Island may return to the late teens or early 20s next week. Heavy rain is also likely across the west coast so you might want to re-check your plans if you're wanting to go tramping.
For Aucklanders, a few showers are still possible on Saturday but really the weekend is looking a lot sunnier, drier and calmer than it's been this week! Time to get those lawnmowers out and, if you're like me, attack those dreaded weeds in your garden which seem to have flourished recently in the sun's new found warmth.
We'll be updating you on where the rain is falling across the weekend with our Rain Tracker so make sure you check out the Weather Watch Centre before you head outdoors.
Overseas now and the big news is still Hurricane Ike. Ike has been in the news now for over a week after drenching Cuba for 3 days - but this weekend he'll make landfall in America - most likely in Texas. Some predict he may even been a monster Category 4 hurricane when this happens.
At the time of writing this blog he was a Category 2 hurricane. For the latest satellite maps, updated hourly, click here.
Ike could be major especially if he shifts further north and strikes near Houston or western Louisiana. We wish all our readers in Ike's path all the best - and appreciate your comments that have come through.
Have a great weekend!
Philip Duncan
Pictured above: George Ivey dropping off a ledge while skiing at Treble Cone ski area in Wanaka. Photo / Sarah Ivey
For the latest weather news keep up to date with The Radio Network's new Weather Watch Centre or the NZ Herald weather section.
