As the big high rolls in the winds fade away. The graphic below shows how calm today, Friday, will be with the large high centred smack bang over the top of New Zealand. (well, slightly to the west of the South Island really – but the calm is over New Zealand).

The wind flow is anticyclonic around the centre so perhaps a lean towards easterlies in the Far North of New Zealand and a very light west to north west flow in the Deep South. Otherwise calm or variable daytime sea and lake breezes.

With the high moving across the country expect cloudy conditions in coastal areas to increase from this weekend in many places but the positive is that for those in Dunedin who have had a lot of fog and low cloud gloom these past two days conditions should brighten up – and warm up – a little this weekend.

Key: Calm in the centre with the colours/shading around the country caught up up in the anticlockwise flow – this indicates where the stronger winds are. The gustiest weather in lime/yellow. Calm colours right across the three main islands for FRIDAY – but the Chathams are out in the windier spring-like Sou’Westers on the edge of the high.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz