Gisborne's Wainui Beach will be one of the places to be over Easter Weekend with warm sunny weather forecast. Photo / supplied
As four days of holiday bliss nears - for most - the sunny weather we have all been hoping for is starting to firm up.
At this stage most of the North Island and the east coast of the South Island are in for relatively fine weather over Easter Weekend, Metservice meteorologist Bill Singh says.
Northern holiday hotspots Northland and Coromandel are looking good, with mostly fine weather and temperatures in the low to mid-20s forecast.
The North Island's East Coast will also be one of the places to be. Gisborne is forecast to reach 26C and full sun on Saturday, and much of the same is expected down the coast to Wairarapa. Auckland and western areas will also be warm but may get a few showers.
The wettest areas are most likely to be Fiordland and Westland, as a front arrives on Friday and another on Sunday.
Heavy rain moving up the west of the South Island and some stronger winds in the east. More details at https://t.co/qHyE5zhh6X ^JL pic.twitter.com/HJ6lZhs4SF
— MetService (@MetService) March 26, 2018
This morning a southerly front that has been moving up the country is hovering over Wellington and is likely to stall just north of the city later today.
There will be periods of heavy rain this morning in the capital, and potentially along the Kapiti Coast later today.
The front should ease through the day and into tomorrow as it heads further north into central and western areas of the North Island.
Tomorrow evening the front will get a boost and become active as it nears Waikato, but will weaken again as it travels north into Friday.
Tomorrow, central and upper North Island could see some showers. The South Island will be mostly fine except for a few showers in the west and far south.
Wellington, and the Wairarapa through to Gisborne, are in for a mostly fine day too except for the odd shower in the ranges.
A dynamic atmospheric display in the SW Pacific!
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) March 26, 2018
☁️ Low pressure swirling into the Tasman Sea.
☁️ Sharp frontal boundary from QLD to the South Island.
☁️ Warm conveyor belt of air punching well south of NZ. pic.twitter.com/W0scWGU4fm
On Friday the front stalls near Northland, bringing a few showers around there and Auckland, but it will ease through the day. The odd shower from Bay of Plenty around to Gisborne will also clear.
"Showers are all on a clearing trend," Singh said.
However, later on Friday another front will begin to move in from the Tasman, bringing rain to Fiordland and Westland.
Eastern areas will stay fine though with a northwesterly flow from Marlborough down to Invercargill.
On Saturday the front brings a southerly change, bringing periods of heavy rain to the western South Island, and showers in the east.
On Saturday evening it moves up the Marlborough coast and crosses over to the west and central North Island.
"Northern and western parts of the North Island may get showers, while eastern areas should be mostly fine," Singh said.
Behind the formation of Tropical #CycloneIris & any other TCs that form in the next week? 🌀
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) March 26, 2018
➡️ Increased lift or rising motion in the atmosphere in the West Pacific (green shades).
➡️ This will be replaced by subsidence (red shades) by mid-April & thus a lower TC risk. pic.twitter.com/TjSMJc5Ozg
Again on Sunday there may be the odd shower in the west, but mainly fine in the east.
Another front begins to work its way into the South Island later on Sunday.
Although the cyclone season is nearing its end, a tropical low may form north of New Zealand at some point this weekend.
"We are looking at models and there is a chance a low may deepen to the south of Fiji," Singh said.
"It is something to keep an eye on."
Whangarei Fine spells, chance shower from late morning. Northeast breezes. 24C high, 16C overnight.
Auckland Fine spells. Chance afternoon shower. Northeast breezes. 23C high, 17C overnight.
Hamilton Cloudy periods, chance afternoon shower. Light winds. 23C high, 15C overnight.
Tauranga Cloudy periods, the odd shower. Northerly breezes. 23C high, 17C overnight.
New Plymouth Occasional rain developing morning. Northerlies. 21C high, 16C overnight.
Napier Fine, but increasing high cloud. Northerlies. 25C high, 16C overnight.
Wellington Rain, briefly heavy, then a few showers from late morning. Northwest easing afternoon. 20C high, 15C overnight.
Nelson Early morning rain, then becoming fine. 23C high, 13C overnight.
Christchurch Fine. Easterlies developing around midday. 23C high, 13C overnight.
Dunedin A fine morning then cloudy periods, and the odd shower from evening. Easterlies developing afternoon. 20C high, 12C overnight.