Here’s what is making the weather headlines today.

🚨⚡️🍃🌪️#4PM – This animation shows: Thunderstorms + Airflow + Wind Speed.

The shading over the Tasman Sea indicates sustained gale force winds over a large area. This means the incoming thunderstorms & showers are moving fast for many places! #Instability #ClassicSpring pic.twitter.com/HwXZCHKp4q

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) November 23, 2022

Plenty more #Spring weather yet to blast through across #NewZealand.

Western NZ in particular can expect squalls with isolated #thunderstorms next couple of days. Some places may have long quiet spells in between with little to talk about – hit & miss nature of these set ups. pic.twitter.com/CduYHVQghZ

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) November 22, 2022

ONE FRONT LEAVES, ANOTHER MOVES IN

A cold front brings some wet potentially unstable weather to the North Island this morning then conditions ease this afternoon as it moves away offshore to the east. Meanwhile for the South Island another front moves in with rain pushing northwards along the West Coast bringing more unstable weather.

For more on today’s unstable conditions check out today’s risk charts from Metservice here.

STRONG WESTERLY QUARTER WINDS

Westerlies over the North Island are strong this morning then easing this afternoon. Later this afternoon or evening as another front moves in from the Tasman Sea west to northwesterly winds will strengthen ahead of and with it, especially for western coastal areas and through Cook Strait.

Metservice have some wind watches out, check them out here.

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OUTLOOK STILL DRIER IN THE EAST

The overall rain outlook for the next seven days (through to 30th Nov) is still wetter weather in the west than east, the western North Island in particular looks to pick up quite a bit of rain.

So yes, eastern regions are drier but they will still likely see rain or showers when south to southwesterly changes move through, just Central / North Otago and parts of South Canterbury may see slightly drier than average conditions.