Dry weather heading toward New Zealand for the next week

All of New Zealand is about to be hit with an uptake in dry weather during the next week and some spots will have above average temperatures. Photo / Weatherwatch

A large anticyclone settling over the country will bring 10 days of warm and dry conditions to most regions.

Rain will disappear across many parts of New Zealand during the next week as warm pressure off Australia heads this way.

According to Weatherwatch, the entire North Island and a large portion of the South Island will lean drier than normal over the next seven days.

Apart from some heavy downpours, with possible thunder today in Canterbury, the next 10 days look dry to mainly dry, Weatherwatch has reported.

The eastern North Island, such as Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and Bay of Plenty all look much drier than normal for this time of year with no rain forecast and mostly sunny and mild weather.

"There are a couple of showers today in the western North Island but any heavy downpours look isolated.

"The next week ahead for Waikato looks both drier than average and warmer than average."

#Australia's big dry shifts over #NewZealand for rest of November - some rain relief for #NSW (+3 Maps) https://t.co/5h6ND1caGd via @weatherwatchnz #weather

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) November 19, 2019

Auckland - which is in a rainfall deficit this year just like Waikato - also has a mostly dry and mild week ahead with only today bringing any real chance of showers.

"Early next week the dry continues and Auckland's daytime highs lift up above average too."

Taranaki, which has been wetter than usual lately catching the outer edges of all the West Coast rain, also leans drier than average for the week ahead.

With all the rain lately the dry "bodes well for a bump in pasture growth" while other regions in the North Island may experience rates slowing down again in a week after this dry run.

The West Coast is still the only area leaning wetter than normal - but compared to recent weeks it likely won't be as wet with a sprinkling of dry and sunny days in the 10-day forecast.

"Southland, which has been a bit wetter and cooler lately, especially noted by farmers and growers, will also see a more positive swing into warmer and drier weather, along with Otago."

Temperatures remain spring-like, up and down, but overall a drier, milder, pattern is trying to push through, Weatherwatch said.

The upper South Island, such as Nelson and Marlborough and into Wellington, also all look completely dry or mainly dry over the next week.