The nights and mornings ahead will be colder in a number of regions – but an even colder change is coming this Sunday and next Monday as a polar airflow moves in, and may linger for most of next week.

More rain will move into NZ from the west, bringing heavy West Coast rain by Friday/Saturday, then some of that rain and showery weather moves over the North Island by Sunday and/or Monday of next week.

The polar change moves over the South Island on Sunday, then over the North Island by Monday.

Snow may fall as low as 200m (or potentially 100m for a time) in parts of the lower South Island early next week. Not locked in yet.

We cover NZ’s weather forecast for the rest of the week ahead, the weekend and Monday of next week.