Strong winds and rain turn to snow and a wintry blast closes out the week.

Plenty of sunshine for the whole country on Saturday but southerly winds will keep temperatures cool.

Late Sunday the remnants of Lola approach Northland and spread over the upper North Island on Monday
MetService Strong Wind and Heavy Rain Warnings and Watches remain in force for most of the South Island, easing tonight (Thursday).

There is also a Heavy Snow Watch south of a line from northern Fiordland to Dunedin, along with a number of Road Snow Warnings for higher roads and passes which start tonight, lifting by Friday afternoon.    

“New Zealand should prepare for an outburst of winter-like weather. We go from T-shirts and jandles on Thursday, back to hats and coats on Friday for eastern parts of the South Island,” says MetService Head of Weather Communication Lisa Murray.

A cold blast from the Southern Ocean brings snow, wind, swell and showers along with a substantial drop in temperatures overnight Thursday and affecting the maximum temperatures on Friday and freezing inland overnight.  

Saturday is under a ridge of high pressure bringing sunshine to both islands although temperatures are still on the chilly side.  

MetService is also watching the Tasman Sea where the remains of Lola are moving towards the south and is expected to interact with the cold weather system moving north on Saturday, forming a deep low.   

“MetService is expecting to issue any Warnings or Watches over the weekend for northern areas of Aotearoa that will be impacted. Areas from Northland to Coromandel Peninsula and across to East Cape can expect some strong wind, heavy rain and large waves. This starts in Northland early Sunday and slowly moves eastward to affect the country for the following couple of days,” advises Murray 

In northern areas large swells, strong onshore wind and King Tides combine on Sunday and Monday, which could mean some sea inundation affecting coastal areas in the north and east of the North Island.  

Image: MetService.