Not for the first time this year Hawke's Bay may have dodged a meteorological bullet.
A low pressure weather system on an easterly path, described by Metservice as a "complex trough" has hammered parts of the North Island, bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms to Taranaki, Bay of Plenty, Taupo and Taihape.
A severe weather watch was put in place and extended through to Wairarapa and Manawatu - although the Bay was not on the list.
The trough is expected to bring gusty westerly winds to the Bay today with mainly fine weather and a possible high of 18C.
But the region is set to get a dousing tomorrow, although most falls are forecast to hit the ranges, with scattered showers spreading to the coast.
And it will be downhill for temperatures for the rest of the week as a cool southwesterly airflow moves across the North Island. Tomorrow and Thursday will be a chilly 15C, with Friday forecast to be 16C as westerlies reappear.
The forecast for the weekend is for fine weather and temperatures in the mid-teens.
Still, just over a fortnight out from the first day of winter, the Bay is still holding temperatures on a par with parts of Europe, which is a fortnight out from the first day of summer.
Eastern police are urging motorists to change their driving to suit the season.
"As the temperature drops and the days get shorter, it's likely there'll be more chance drivers will come across sections of the road that are slippery," acting Senior Sergeant Clint Adamson said.
"In terms of the road, drivers need to be aware of changing conditions and adjust their driving accordingly."
Police said seasonal changes also affected cars.
"There're simple things like clearing away the extra condensation on windows so that drivers can clearly see out the windscreen. This gets more important when combined with the sun being a little lower in the sky causing sun strike.
"As we move forward, this will change to frost on the windscreen ... [de-frosting] should be happening before drivers set out - not as they are driving down the road."