Temperatures: A cooler southerly change has spread up the South Island and into the lower North Island but as early as this evening milder winds may be returning for some.

Saturday sees a fairly mild day across NZ – although again Canterbury will have below average temperatures.

But it’s Saturday night and across Sunday that will see the next surge of southerlies heading north. Saturday night will be below average across a large portion of the South Island.

The North Island is mild right through the weekend although Sunday will feel a cool down, but Monday is when temperatures drop further.

Rain: A low is also developing in the Tasman Sea on Saturday and will move over New Zealand this weekend, coming in on Saturday night/Sunday morning and likely triggering another area of low pressure into Sunday, Monday and maybe even Tuesday. Good news for the North Island regions needing rain.

Rain today (Friday) isn’t too heavy, a few light showers here and there for the most part. But on Saturday night and into Sunday morning heavy falls are expected through central NZ (upper South Island and lower North Island)

Wellington and Christchurch are both in the mix for heavy falls along with Taranaki and Bay of Plenty. Elsewhere a few brief heavy downpours are possible and even an isolated thunderstorm or two possible on Saturday PM in the very upper North Island (although not locked in).

As always, to make sense of these maps for your specific location this weekend, please see the HOURLY forecast data at both www.WeatherWatch.co.nz and www.RuralWeather.co.nz