Weather conditions across the country this weekend look fairly settled, apart from a few showers in western and central New Zealand on Saturday. Sunday sees mostly sunny and mild conditions across the country but clouds will thicken later from the west as a front moves in. Monday and Tuesday look windier and wetter for many regions (wettest in the west and windiest in the east), then the weather may well calm down next week ahead of a Southern Ocean storm which might bring gales and cold air to the entire nation next weekend.

This week kicks off with another rain maker but by Wednesday most of New Zealand will be dry as high pressure moves in. The next rain maker is lining up in the Tasman Sea for either the end of the weekend of the start of next week, and may well be a fairly typical Autumn low with warm, windy, weather in front and a change to colder, squally, showers behind. We have the latest on how it’s shaping up.

Widespread flooding, heavy rainfall and gale force winds caused road closures, power outages and slips around New Zealand on April 17 and 18. The rough conditions have been fuelled by ex-Cyclone Ita with the tail end of the tropical storm hitting the islands overnight on April 17. The winds blew down a large tree in Nelson, on the north tip of the South Island, which was captured on camera by YouTube/Derek Sivers.

Weather conditions continue to deteriorate in the Nelson Area with gale force winds & torrential rains sweeping over.

Ugly weather is continuing to crash into the country. The atrocious conditions are being fuelled by ex-cyclone Ita, which is battering Northland and Auckland as it sweeps down the country.

Flooding has forced transport officials to close Tamaki Drive in east Auckland as gales and torrential rain batter the upper North Island.

The remnants of ex-cyclone Ita are set to sweep across the upper North Island today, bringing heavy rain and gales, while the rest of the country is also in for a soaking.

The run of warm weather, mainly for northern areas, looks set to continue this weekend and into next week along with showers and more rain makers around the nation. A low is predicted next week in the Tasman Sea and another one – potentially the remnants of current Category 5 tropical cyclone Ita – may move down towards the North Island at Easter weekend. Still a bit too far out to lock in but one to watch for northerners. Meanwhile the South Island remains mild for mid-April but a southerly change is expected later next week.

Some wet weather will be affecting eastern and central parts of New Zealand this week as a low unravels around the lower North Island. Winds will be south east for many places, which means the rain may not make it over the ranges and into very dry parts of Manawatu and Wanganui – but we do hope for some spillover. Meanwhile the rest of the country looks fairly dry – but a sub-tropical low is possible next week according to some computer models.

A few showers this weekend will likely brush Southland and parts of the West Coast – but for most other regions expect mostly dry, settled, weather thanks to a strong high pressure system moving over the nation and stalling somewhat over the North Island. The forecast is positive if you’re harvesting grapes, but not positive if you need rain for your farm or garden…and the dry weather may linger for northern areas until mid-April, or even longer.

A weak front will bring a south to south west change from the lower North Island southwards on Tuesday, bringing rain and showers to the South Island and a few showers to the lower North Island. Afternoon heating will continue to lead to a few heavy showers for upper western parts of the North Island – bringing pockets of relief to those who need rain. However WeatherWatch.co.nz maintains that dry weather will prevail across the regions that need rain the most for the rest of March and the very start of April.

Head Weather analyst Philip Duncan gives a special weather update on the location where potential Debris have been spotted by satellite 2500 kilometres southwest of Perth.

Cyclone Lusi continues to slide south towards New Zealand bringing severe gales and heavy rain. The low will track down the western side of NZ then cross over the South Island on Sunday night – before leaving the nation on Monday morning. Severe weather may affect a number of regions, so please check with MetService for the latest warnings & watches – and WeatherWatch.co.nz for special weather news updates across the weekend. For farmers wanting rain Lusi should deliver a soaking to a number of regions – but some may miss out due to the changing wind flow.

All you need to know about the weather and transport for Auckland's Pasifika Festival at Western Springs from Weather Analyst Philip Duncan.

NZ Reader videos from Jason Burns and Liz Osborne, also YouTube clips from Christchurch capture the storm and damage ravaging the Canterbury region. Please send your weather related stories, photos or video to online-editor@nzherald.co.nz.

The first official weekend of Autumn and the weather is more autumnal thanks to a south to south west change right across the country. It will be cold for some in the deep south – but for those in the upper North Island expect only a slight dip in the temperatures. We update you on the two cyclone risks north of New Zealand and we monitor any potential rain or shower risks for those desperate for rain.

Dry conditions are starting to really set in across northern New Zealand and the forecast doesn’t show much rain in the next 10 days. As WeatherWatch.co.nz exclusively predicted back at the start of spring, the current weather pattern is favourable to creating drier than average conditions for northern New Zealand. The only saving grace will be from tropical or sub-tropical rain makers. Latest models show a fairly high chance of a tropical cyclone forming later in the first week of March – but the models have no idea if it will affect NZ just yet, so confidence of rain remains low at this early stage. Meanwhile the South Island and lower North Island have more hot and cold changes coming up.

Saturday was humid and Sunday was thundery – but the week ahead looks calmer for most regions thanks to higher air pressure. Humidity levels may start to creep back up again this week north of Waikato and BOP while a couple more colder changes are expected in the South Island – which might spark one or two heavy showers. We also look at video of the tornado and the damage it caused on Sunday in North Canterbury.

Two low pressure systems are moving in towards New Zealand, one coming out of the sub-tropics from the north east and the other coming in from the south west. The two will weaken as they move across the country this week, but it means some who need rain will get it – but the rain predictions for the upper North Island remain patchy and hit and miss. By the end of the week we have another sou’west flow across the country which means the weekend ahead may be a little cooler along our western coastlines, but sunnier and hotter in the east or north east. Don’t forget to also check out our great new animated wind maps in our weather videos.

The weekend is here and the forecast looks mostly dry across the New Zealand. High pressure remains in control of a number of places despite a low from the north and west trying to move in later on Sunday. These messy systems will weaken early next week but may – MAY – bring some rain relief to dry parts of northern NZ. It looks a bit hit and miss though.

An unsettled weather pattern remains over NZ for the next couple of days, bringing a slightly cooler sou’west flow to many areas on Friday. However as head into the weekend high pressure should again dominate meaning a mostly dry and warm to hot weekend across the country. We also take a look at the latest news about El Nino – which may make a return later this year which could be of concern for some farmers (El Nino can lead towards dry weather for eastern and inland areas.

The week ahead looks mostly dry but we do have showers around the South island thanks to a large but fairly weak low. This low will push some rain up the West Coast but as it moves into the North Island around Tuesday and Wednesday it will completely fall apart – delivering little in the way of moisture for dry parts of northern New Zealand. By the end of the working week another high is pushing in across the upper North Island bringing a warmer westerly flow (and sunnier, hotter weather to the east of both islands) which should turn to a warmer and more humid northerly flow by Sunday.

A sub-tropical disturbance to the north east of NZ continues to drive in cloudy, humid and mostly dry weather to northern NZ - but a few light showers and drizzle patches are in the mix too. Conditions for the cricket at Eden Park look mostly dry, although the next couple days do have a shower risk. The wind flow over the North Island for the next several days will be east to south east, while southerners - especially the deep south (about time!) will enjoy more settled weather thanks to a high.

The forecast around the country for the next few days looks a little unsettled but mostly dry., A weak area of low pressure will try to push south over the next week – and may bring rain or showers to the Gisborne area. Many other places look dry for the days ahead, with a risk of a few isolated heat showers popping up by the weekend or early next week as the sub-tropical system (which is very weak) slowly pushes closer to the north eastern corner of the North Island. The South Island has a cool southerly which will fade out on Waitangi Day – then high pressure should move in until next week.

Hot weather, with highs into the 30s, will great some people across both islands over Monday and Tuesday this week – but another cold southerly is coming for the South Island with highs set to tumble on Wednesday, especially in the deep south. However northern New Zealand is unlikely to be significantly affected by this change – with mostly dry and sunny weather remaining. The good news is that a high will move in on Waitangi Day – but a few areas will have morning showers and brisk, cool, northerlies. Chance of a shower at Waitangi itself, otherwise dry with passing clouds and an easterly wind.

A large anticyclone will this weekend drift across New Zealand bringing mostly sunny and settled weather to the country – but, as usual, there is a catch. This time in the form of a deep sub-tropical low which will brush East Cape. Strong winds and rain are possible there – but the south east flow will mean many western areas, including Auckland, should be mostly sunny, hot and dry. We also take a look at next week – which also looks mainly dry ahead of two possible lows (one from the north the other from the south) around Waitangi Day.

Another cool change is moving up the South Island while North Islanders are watching another possible sub-tropical low. Firstly, in the deep south, the unsettled cool weather continues as yet another cold front moves in. The good news is that this front is very weak - and it’s good news for apple growers too who are loving the cooler mornings. However in the upper North Island all eyes are on another sub-tropical low. While the data is still a bit unsure about where exactly this low will end up (likely East Cape or east of there) it is likely to affect our weather in some ways.

It’s a long weekend for the upper North Island this weekend and the forecast is looking great for those wanting to get away – but perhaps not perfect once on holiday! We have a small but aggressive low pressure system pushing into the South Island on Sunday with gales and heavy rain for some areas. This might also affect the lower North Island. The front will then fall apart over the Upper North Island bringing a risk of showers and plenty of cloud in the west. Meanwhile we take a look at the tropics, where another tropical cyclone is possible in week 2 in February. Plus we look at the next polar vortex slamming North America.

Another day and another low moving in, this time towards the South Island. While Wednesday looks much calmer, drier and sunnier around New Zealand, Thursday will see windier weather move in as a small stormy low crossed the South Island. The good news is that a large high is moving In for both main islands this weekend – but a question mark still remains on just how dry (or not dry) Auckland Anniversary Monday will be, for the couple of million people in the upper North Island who have that day off.

Ex-cyclone June passed Norfolk Island this morning with winds over 100km/h and torrential rain. The low is gradually weakening but is already sending rain across the upper North Island. We have a large calm area in the centre of the low, but around it are gale to severe gales. These strong winds are expected to move into Auckland and other northern areas during Tuesday as the low heads south and the gale sou’westers move in behind it for a time. The rest of the week looks unsettled with sou’west winds blowing across many areas ahead of a high this coming weekend…but for Auckland Anniversary Monday there may be some incoming rainclouds once again.