Here’s what is making the weather headlines today.

A COLD DAY APART FROM THE UPPER NORTH ISLAND

Southerlies have brought colder temperatures over New Zealand today compared to yesterday, Canterbury got up to around 21 degrees on Thursday before the afternoon southerly moved in. Today Canterbury only has a high of 11.

Waikato and Bay Of Plenty northwards bucks the trend though with temperatures reaching into the late teens or perhaps cracking 20 if you are lucky as the airflow is coming in from the north. It will feel reasonably humid for the upper North Island today also with dewpoints reaching 15 to 16 degrees.

HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL NORTH ISLAND

A southerly airflow converges with northerlies over the North Island today, rain starts to become widespread this afternoon and evening with heavy falls then possible tonight and into tomorrow.

The heaviest rain will likely be about Northland and in the northeast, so from Coromandel across to East Cape and down into Hawkes Bay.

Metservice has a few watches out, check them out here.

UPPER NORTH ISLAND UNSTABLE ON SUNDAY / MONDAY

Due to high surface moisture, warm surface temperatures and some cold upper air, the upper North Island has thunderstorm / downpour potential on Sunday and Monday.

Maps below show the LI (Lifted Index) for each day and the CAPE in the afternoon’s at 4pm. Below zero and the atmosphere is starting to become unstable in regards to LI’s, the higher the CAPE figure the better as far as storms are concerned.

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