The end of the year is fast approaching, and the big question on everyone's mind is what will the weather be like on Christmas Day?

While the forecast for Christmas Day hasn't been nailed down yet, the MetService has provided an outlook on what to expect in the lead up and a brief look at the big day.

“This weekend brings a mix of warm and wet weather as humid air steams in from the Tasman Sea. From Tuesday next week we can expect more settled weather for most parts of the country,” says MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris.

Today, the wind turns northwesterly across the country which means rain will be pilling on to the west coast of the South Island while temperatures are forecast to climb into the high twenties along the east coasts, with Blenheim picked to reach 29°C.

Strong northwesterlies are likely across the Southern Alps, around Southland and about the Cook Strait.

Heavy rain watches have been issued from Fiordland up the coast to Buller from Friday into Saturday with another front bringing further potential for heavy rain on Sunday, so it’s recommended to keep up with the forecast if you’re going to be along the West Coast this weekend.

The front will likely bring some rain to southwestern parts of the North Island this weekend before the band of rain wraps across the North Island to kick off the new working week, albeit in a weakened state.

On Tuesday, high pressure begins to build across New Zealand.

This is setting the scene for a nice run of weather up to Christmas Day for many parts of the country.

However, as we get closer to Christmas Day the fly in the ointment looks to arrive as a band of rain moving onto the west coast of the South Island.

“After keeping a close eye on how the forecast models have developed since they started covering the 25th the general setup of high pressure over our shores with rain in the southwest looks to be the top contender for weather situations this Christmas.

“But given the extended lead-time it’s not worth getting into the fine details as even the rough picture provided could change significantly. As we get into next week, we’ll have a far better idea of the likelihood of the rain band and just how far up the country it may affect.”

The bottom line: make plans to clean your outdoor furniture next week if you’re hosting Christmas lunch, those along the West Coast should probably wait a few days longer while we firm up the rain forecast.