MetService is forecasting a week of cool temperatures with rain and thunderstorms for some areas, but a lot of the South Island will be on the drier side. 

A cold front moved on to the south of the country over the weekend and the cool air has been slowly shifting northwards.

This change of airmass has also brought some rain and it looks to concentrate in parts of Tairāwhiti/Gisborne & Hawke's Bay from Tuesday afternoon.

A Heavy Rain Watch is in force between 3pm Tuesday and 7am Wednesday. 

Regions around the central North Island are at risk of seeing a few afternoon thunderstorms pop up today (Monday) and on Tuesday.

If a thunderstorm occurs, it will bring a burst of heavy rain and even some small hail so take care if you happen to get caught under one.

“While each day brings the risk of some showers around the South Island, they are fleeting and isolated. Northwestern areas look to have the largest risk of showers,” says MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris.

Towards the end of the working week an area of high pressure eventually arrives across New Zealand.

This brings a widely settled finish to the week, but northerly winds start to pick up over the far south on Saturday ahead of the next incoming band of rain. 

The return of northerly winds will bring an increase in temperature across the country through the weekend, starting down south with Alexandra forecast to reach 25°C on Saturday