Humidity and afternoon heating has led to a few days of significant downpours and major thunderstorms around the North Island but a front in the Tasman looks set to drop humidity levels on Tuesday. For Wellington and southern areas you’re entering a late spring pattern. Wellington has a northerly chance to a southerly every second day this week and gales are possible in exposed areas by Friday. The days before Christmas – and Christmas Day itself – still have a question mark but we know there will be a very large high pressure system around NZ – we just need another day or two to lock in where exactly it will be centered.

This weekend looks fairly settled but a few showers will continue to pop up here and there across both islands. Most main centres should be mostly dry with breezy winds. Wellington’s brisk northerlies should ease back for the cricket and the bulk of the rain looks set to affect the West Coast of the South Island with sunniest and driest weather likely in the north east of both islands. Temperatures should be average – even if cloudy don’t forget burn times are now very high.

There’s a fair bit of cloud around this week – mostly in western and southern areas as slow systems move across New Zealand. The forecast for most is a dry one this week – but one or two showers are popping up, again mostly western and southern areas. For the cricket in Wellington the weather looks mainly dry – but a shower is possible and the winds will be mainly from the north.

There are still a few rain clouds circling New Zealand but higher pressure this week and weekend means many areas should be drier. A few showers will pop up here and there, mostly western and southern areas of the South Island – but a few northern areas may see a few showers too. Driest areas look to be inland, east and north eastern regions. While we can’t yet see Christmas Day the weather pattern leading up to it will be similar to what we’ve had over the past 4 weeks.

A belt of strong winds will again affect our Saturday was possible gales returning to Wellington on Saturday afternoon. Showers will also spread into the west coast of New Zealand turning to rain the further south you go. Winds will be strongest in the east – so eastern NZ can expect high temperatures. But a southerly change is moving in to the deep south with temperatures dropping on Sunday as the change moves north up the South Island. Next week is looking mostly dry for the North Island.

Eastern and inland areas of both islands may be about to heat up significantly as a nor’west flow moves in across the South Island and lower North Island. Meanwhile in the upper North Island and some central North Island areas pockets of sub-tropical rain are moving down bringing relief again to farmers and gardeners battling a drier than average start to summer. Make the most of the rain – next week is looking dry for many main centres. If you love the heat – make the most of that too if you live in the deep south, as a colder change may move in as early as Sunday.

Summer is with us and while the weekend was a little cooler for some this week looks likely to be much warmer with highs at the end of this week potentially reaching 30 degrees. In the north another subtropical low - weaker than last week - looks like it might deliver a few hit and miss downpours for dry parts of the upper North Island - while South Islanders see a calmer, drier week for the most part with Canterbury ending on a hot note this Friday.

Summer officially starts in New Zealand and Australia this Sunday and the weather here in NZ may well be cooler than the last day of spring on Saturday! A strong to gale nor’west flow will push across the country on Saturday then on Sunday winds swing around to the south west for many places with cooler air pushing in. Don’t worry – the first week of summer still looks mostly sunny and warm – but the first few days look unsettled.

It’s hot and humid in the north – cool and cloudy in the south – and this up and down weather pattern will stay with us into the start of Summer, which kicks off this weekend. The South Island’s run of cooler weather isn’t over yet – and the calm conditions over much of the North Island are also about to be blown away by stronger westerlies. The main weather focus remains over much of the upper North Island for the next couple of days – but it looks as though the South Island may have more of the weather next week.

Mostly dry weather conditions are setting back in around NZ but there are a few rain makers in the wings. The first one is a low north of Cape Reinga. The second will come next week from the Tasman Sea while the third low may move in across the entire country for the first few days of December. Only early days – but the models seem fairly confident at this stage. Next update on Friday!

This weekend a front will try to move up the nation – but will fall apart as it does so. This means the weekend will start of wet on the West Coast, windy for central NZ and cloudy for other western and southern areas. However by Sunday the front should have mostly fallen apart with winds easing in central areas. No significant rain is in the forecast until at least the end of next week when a possible low may cross NZ – but the models remain conflicted about the exact path and which regions will get rain.

Sunny weather has returned to western areas as a large high holds firm over the North Island. Calm and mostly dry weather is in the forecast for the next few days and weekend. However the cloudy weather in the west might return at times later this week and weekend as a light westerly flow develops this weekend. Philip Duncan also discusses the possibility of a rain maker in the last week of the month – but says the models remain conflicted.

The rain makers are mostly giving New Zealand a miss this week and the cloudy, gloomy, weather for some western areas should also clear up as winds shift from the west to the east over much of the North Island. Last weeks rain was hugely welcomed by gardeners and farmers who tell WeatherWatch.co.nz that conditions 10 days ago were drier than they were 12 months ago (ahead of the big drought) – now farmers are smiling as we head towards summer with good grass growth and potentially another rain maker on the horizon before the month is done.

This week has seen a number of torrential downpours and thunderstorms around the North Island – reversing a big and early dry pattern that had started to form. But don’t have false hope – the next couple of weeks look very dry for some regions as high pressure systems sweep in over New Zealand and for the first time in a while we have a large high moving in south of the country.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan talks about the upcoming forecast around the country.

The forecast this week and weekend looks mostly dry for those celebrating Guy Fawkes. For farmers and gardeners wanting rain in the north, there is a low coming in from the Tasman Sea but it is a bit hit and miss. It will deliver isolated heavy showers perhaps on Wednesday and Thursday for some parts of the North Island and potentially the upper South Island. Temperatures this week look warm… in fact hot for some with highs pushing into the mid 20s.

This weekend is looking sunnier, calmer and drier for the most part as air pressure evens out around the nation. Sunny, warm, weather is expected to kick off the weekend in eastern parts of the South Island where light frosts are even possible. On Sunday temps drop a little across parts of the South Island and showers or rain returns to the lower West Coast. For those desperately wanting rain in the north, there isn’t much in the forecast but a low in the Tasman Sea next week may bring a little wet weather to the north and west of New Zealand.

Another burst of wind and rain is coming to New Zealand this week but unlike last week it wont be as stormy with winds mostly below damaging and rain events fairly short lived. The bulk of the rain will be again falling on the western coastline and again mostly the West Coast. Sunniest will be eastern parts of the North Island while windiest weather will again be central and eastern areas – and possibly Auckland for a time as the sou’west flow returns for the end of the working week.

We take a look at the week ahead - and while it's calm to start with in the north, the windier weather comes back this week. It will rise up the South Island on Thursday then the North Island on Friday. We take a look at the forecast for the start of Labour Weekend too - and in true tradition the weekend has a mix of sunny, dry, weather and windy, wet weather. It's a typical spring forecast!

The first large high in several weeks will cross New Zealand this weekend bringing mostly dry and mostly calm conditions. While a front and strong winds move up the South Island on Friday the high will basically ‘kill off’ the wind and rain – leaving cloudy areas and a few isolated showers on Saturday but certainly a huge improvement from recent weather. Most places have a calm, dry and warm weekend on the way.

A large tree in Ellerslie fell onto a car with 3 women in it, one got minor injuries. Large traffic delays occurred while the fire service and tree cutting contractors cleared the tree away.

Severe gales are again blasting parts of New Zealand but there is some positive news if you’re tired of the wind – a large high looks set to calm things down later this week in the north, then into many other areas this weekend. While gales are likely to return to Wellington later this week they should be well down on the hurricane force winds recorded on Monday in the capital. The South Island will be more exposed to windy weather this week – but mostly sunny and warm if you live in the east.

Gales, possibly damaging, will surge across the nation this weekend and again on Monday. On Saturday it will be the North Island most exposed to gales, some gusts over 110km/h. On Sunday the North Island sees winds easing for the most part but then a ferocious band of wind is likely to move into inland parts of the South Island before blasting central New Zealand - including the capital Wellington - on Monday PM. One to watch.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan talks about the damaging squall that hit an Auckland suburb on Tuesday. We look at the upcoming weekend weather which promises more wind, rain, sun and calm - plus we also look at the new windier weather pattern that is moving in until the end of next week and could bring a spell of severe weather to parts of New Zealand.

A cool change is moving up the country over the next couple of days bringing some snow above 500m in the south but certainly nothing significant. The change isn’t looking quite as cold as it did a few days ago but the latest models show temperatures will tumble nationwide, especially in the South Island, until Thursday. Across Friday winds build over the South Island then into the North Island on Saturday – this will mark what we predicted last month, two weeks of windy weather for the second and third weeks of October.

Quite a bit of cloud will affect various regions across the country this weekend – but the general trend is for dry, calm weather for most regions. Brisk winds will continue though some central areas but the windier weather arrives later next week. In fact kicking off around next Thursday is a windy spell which could last until Labour Weekend. Finally, if you’ve been enjoying the warm weather in the east of both islands later, be prepared for a brief cold snap early next week – Mon and Tues sees a southerly blowing up the southern and eastern coastlines of New Zealand from Antarctica – it’s short lived though, warmer weather returns by Wednesday.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan has your latest weather forecast.

Gusty to gale force winds will again push through central parts of NZ on Saturday, mostly Wellington and Wairarapa. It means it will be warm in the east of both islands but Sunday sees a cooler change move in to much of the South Island. Generally speaking the weekend isn’t looking too rough this weekend, it’s a typical spring-like weekend!

Philip Duncan covers the track of last night’s storm, where it’s placed now and what New Zealand can expect over today, the coming weekend and for the start of October next week. For today the low has stalled just west of Auckland and tonight will drift back across the North Island bringing strong westerlies to Northland and Auckland. Most other places should see winds easing as the centre of the low starts to weaken significantly across Thursday. A west to south west flow will stay with the country until Monday.

WeatherWatch.co.nz and other forecasters continue to closely monitor the incoming low, which is expected to track directly over Auckland City just after midnight tonight (early hours of Weds). As with lows like this, the severe weather is mostly around the centre of the low - but the actual centre itself is often calm. It's a tricky one to pin down but here's the latest, recorded Tuesday morning.