NZ: Eastern cloud/showers for the NI, high pressure expands elsewhere

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:08]C. Hello. It's Thursday the 14th of May.

[00:00:11]Thank you for joining me. We've got high pressure on the way from the Tasmania region and it's going to be affecting New Zealand's weather for the next week ahead. And that means light winds, uh, sunny weather, frosts, fog patches, all the usual stuff. But some areas are going to be a bit cloudy with the colder wind and showers. And that's mostly along the eastern side of the North Island. And we're going to see more cloud, more showers coming through off and on over the next several days ahead.

[00:00:35]But for many other areas further to the west, sunnier weather prevails and we've got certainly some clear skies around the South Island at the moment and a risk of frost off and on across the next several days. So here is the air pressure map showing the very large uh highpress system leaving Tasmania and moving in towards the South Island. But it's this southerntherly flow that's driving in the cloud along the eastern side of the north island curving around as a southeasterly when you get up around Cormandal Peninsula and Northland. And so there will be a few showers caught up in that. But as I said, if you're west of the ranges, many places will be sunny in the days ahead.

[00:01:11]Some clouds sneaking through Cook Straight around Banks Peninsula as well and also coming into the southern part of the South Island. So here is the forecast map for lunchtime on Friday.

[00:01:21]High pressure 1040 hector pascals. that is powerful moving in over the South Island. Light winds for most places. You see a couple of offshore showers here that may just be brushing some uh very exposed eastern parts of the South Island. And it's a similar story here along the eastern side of the North Island. Most of the showers up around northern Hawks Bay, Gisbon, Tidafi, and East Cape. And also maybe a couple of showers around the Bay of Islands and just northwards caught up in that cooler southeasterly. There could be foggy patches and some frost here and there in the usual places. Otherwise, uh, beautiful sunny weather is coming through for a number of places. So, we do have a few frosty areas this weekend.

[00:02:00]It's not necessarily heavy frost for a lot of places, but the areas with the blue and the purple, uh, those are the areas where you've got that frost risk.

[00:02:07]And of course, it can go into other areas lower down or further towards the coastlines. Um, depending on where you live, some of those sheltered valleys may also get a few frosts. So, definitely lower temperatures for the overnight uh, and the mornings. And then the afternoons, as I say, if the sun's out, it it's a pretty beautiful day for many places. But that eastern side of the North Island, uh, including Northland, still getting cloud and showers. Not necessarily very much in the way of wet weather for most of you, though. But there are some showers caught up in that cooler air flow coming up from the Chattam Islands. And with high pressure over the South Island, that's where you can get foggy areas.

[00:02:43]Even if you've got a sunshine icon in your forecast, sometimes fog can still form uh in some of those more sheltered spots. As we go into Sunday, not a great deal of change. High pressure is moving a little further out to the east of the South Island. So that's why we do get some fog patches and those frosty areas.

[00:03:00]The eastern side of the North Island still getting cloud showers and also up around the eastern half of Northland.

[00:03:08]Outside of that, mostly sunny weather other than some of that morning cloud and fog. So, we kick off next week almost exa exactly the same as the weekend. High pressure just east of the South Island, light winds for the south, uh light winds for the lower part of the North Island. That may actually clear up some of the cloudy periods you've been getting. Although, as you can see, there are still some showers around from Hawks Bay northwards and still up around Northland, maybe also Great Barrier Island and potentially affecting Cormandal Peninsula. Just depends on the angle of that southeasterly wind. And then again, western areas, sunshine, South Islanders, a lot of sunshine around other than some of that morning cloud and fog. By Tuesday, high pressure is parked right over the top of the South Island. So again, not a lot of change. Still a few showers from Hawks Bay northwards, Coramando Peninsula northwards as well, all along that eastern side. If you're on the other side of the hills and ranges, it's not expected to be very cloudy or at least not wet. should be dry in most places with cooler mornings and the afternoons hopefully warming up a little bit especially maybe in the lower South Island. You may just notice the temperatures starting to go up after a cold spell around the weekend and going into Monday and by Wednesday as the high balloons out again east and west of the country. Northwesterly winds or westerly starting to develop in the very lower part of the South Island. Now, there is a bit of rain leaving Australia, but that's not rushing towards us because the high is holding it in place. And then northwards, you've got the low pressure zone up here south of Tonga.

[00:04:38]That is also not expected to affect New Zealand. But between the low and the high, you've got that southeasterly wind carrying on. So, there could still just be a few showers up around Northland and Great Barrier Island, but hopefully drier, sunnier weather returning as more of a northwesterly wind starts to develop around the lower part of the North Island. rainfall for the next seven days ahead. So, as you can see, it is coastal parts along the eastern side of the North Island, especially northern Hawks Bay, Gisbon, Tadafi, East Cape, and also up around the Bay of Islands or the eastern side of Northland. There might be a shower as we just mentioned along uh Canterbury or the eastern side of the South Island. But it's worth noting you're in that zero to five millimeter mark. So, you might not get a shower, you might get a very brief spit of rain. It's not likely to be very much. That is all from today. I will join you again tomorrow, Friday with your next New Zealand update.