High pressure is now moving off NZ to our east, replaced by cloudier weather and northerly quarter winds, with heavy rain coming for the West Coast and this may also spillover into parts of Tasman and Nelson late week. Snow will also fall on the mountains and ranges for a time late week and possibly again late weekend.

The North Island also has some wet weather, but not as much as the South Island will get, with eastern areas like Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury likely receiving the lowest totals over the coming week.

North-west winds will pick up on Friday and Saturday morning with gales in some places, especially around the upper South Island and Cook Strait.

By Sunday and Monday a burst of colder air moves in and drops temperatures further, ahead of the next high pressure system moving in. Frosts may also be expected in sheltered and higher elevation parts of both main islands.