Wet and cold weather set to batter the country

Wer and cold weather is set to hit the country. Photo / NZ Herald

Wet and cold weather will batter the country today, before taking a short break, then returning in time for the weekend, forecasters say.

MetService meteorologist Stephen Glassey said there were two fronts affecting the country today.

The first front was currently sitting over the upper South Island, and would move over the bottom of the North Island this morning, then onto the rest of the North Island this afternoon and this evening, bringing with it heavy rain.

Most of the North Island would see the rain today, apart from places east of the ranges, such as Gisborne and the Hawkes Bay, Mr Glassey said.

"They won't see as much, they probably will just see really brief lighter rain. Everywhere else should see some decent rain, in the west from Taranaki southwards including Wellington we have rain developing this morning.

"Then elsewhere, like further north, it's developing this afternoon and this evening as the front makes its way north."

Another front had plenty of cold air behind it, and would move over the South Island later today, bringing snow down to 500m for Southland and Otago, Mr Glassey said.

"It's not looking to bad at the moment, just a bit of cloud and some isolated showers. The temperatures at the moment... are all sort of hovering around that 10C mark. I think when this cold front moves through later it will get colder than that."

The cold and wet weather would take a break tomorrow, before returning again in time for the weekend, he said.

"Tomorrow is not looking too bad over the country because these fronts move away to the northeast, however there is some more active weather systems coming during the weekend.

"There is a low moving across the upper North Island on Saturday, which is going to bring rain and strong winds to the upper North Island.

"The rest of the country isn't looking too bad [on Saturday] but then on Sunday we've got a cold southerly moving over the South Island, which is going to be even colder than the southerly we've got coming later today, and it's likely to bring snow to low levels, and near sea level, in the very south."

Today's forecast:

Whangarei: Cloudy periods. Rain from evening. Northwesterlies. High 19C Low 14C

Auckland: Chance of drizzle. Rain from evening. Northwesterlies. High 18C Low 13C

Hamilton: Fog then rain, chance evening heavy and some thunder. Northwest. High 17C Low 9C

Tauranga: Low cloud. Rain from evening. Northwesterlies. High 18C Low 11C

Wellington: Rain eases afternoon, clears evening. Strong northerly. High 17C Low 8C

Christchurch: High cloud with northwesterlies, evening rain with southwesterlies. High 20C Low 1C

(Source: MetService)