Strong winds, lower temperatures and rain and showers dominate this week across New Zealand ahead of a very powerful high pressure zone developing over Australia.

For NZ it means colder air moves up the country on Tuesday with gales in Wellington, Auckland and Northland for a time, possibly severe gale. Sadly, for those in the east needing rain (like Hawke’s Bay) not much is coming.

Another big low from the Tasman Sea moves in on Thursday and Friday with milder winds in the north and patchy rain from the west.