Windy westerlies will dominate NZ over the coming days, turning colder for the lower South Island this weekend ahead of a large low pressure zone on King’s Birthday Monday that looks likely to engulf most of the country.

The Monday low pressure zone is likely to bring cold air into the South Island, downpours into the North Island and snow for the southern ranges.

Windy weather may also be an issue on Sunday and Monday around parts of NZ, mostly the southern half.

Australia’s weather pattern – which is very much connected to ours at the moment – continues to push big high pressure zones out into the Tasman Sea (classic El Nino set up actually) as weaker lows brush the southern coastline from Perth to Adelaide to Melbourne and Hobart.

We have your forecast to Tuesday…