WeatherWatch.co.nz has today downgraded it’s exclusive Queens Birthday Weekend travel forecasts for those returning home tomorrow rating driving and flying conditions as “poor”.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says that heavy showers in the North Island, gales about central New Zealand and a cold southerly with snow for the South Island is the reason behind the poor rating.

“Compared to what people set off in on Friday, Monday will be a world apart” says Head Weather Analyst Philip Duncan. “Snow down to just a couple of hundred metres in the South Island, heavy showers, some with hail in the north and gales about Wellington – it won’t be pleasant for motorists nationwide or some air passengers, particularly those on smaller planes”.

While the storm isn’t on the extreme end of the scale it’s still ‘moderate’ enough to put more pressure on saturated farms. Several rain warnings are in place this morning. Rain overnight and this morning doesn’t seem to have been as widespread or heavy as originally predicted however heavy showers this afternoon in the north maybe more problematic.

“Patchy rain, like we saw overnight, isn’t really the main concern – but heavy, squally showers or thunderstorms this afternoon could dump 30 to 40mm of rain in one area in just one hour. That’s surface and flash flooding making weather on any given day, let alone for land already saturated”.

Mr Duncan says a wintry blast will move up the South Island and lower North Island tomorrow, reaching Auckland on Tuesday morning. “It will be a shock to the system for many – our first real touch of winter”.