Weather forecast: Spring weather for New Zealand

Spring is lingering over the country with unsettled weather two weeks into summer.

A wet and windy Monday is making way for a dry and warm Tuesday.

Weather Watch analyst Philip Duncan said this week was full of typical spring weather. Rain and wind will ease away on Tuesday as a high pressure system flows over the county. Rain starts to creep up the coast on Wednesday but the country will remain warm.

These balmy temperatures will plummet on Thursday as a low from the southern ocean nips in closer. Duncan said the temperature drop would be as extreme as Gore getting 24C on Wednesday and 12C on Thursday. Then Friday is looking dry and windy for the country.

"It's pretty much seven days of dropping back to Spring."

Yesterday the South Island had severe thunderstorms with marble-sized hail and heavy rainfall.

Thunderstorms mainly hit Masterton, Wairarapa, Wairoa, Marlborough and Gisborne. There is a low risk of thunderstorms continuing into Tuesday.

Napier took out the country's high with 24C while Lake Tekapo had the chilliest temperatures at 1.7C.

Extreme winds put a group of teenagers in danger when their yachts capsized in Wellington Harbour yesterday.

Police were called to Evans Bay about 12.15pm after the five small yachts were struck by the southerly - three of these capsized and 10 people were rescued from the water.

MetService duty forecaster Sarah Garlick said wind gusts in the area at the time of the boats capsizing were about 70 to 80km/h.

"That strong wind was probably a factor with those boats."

Garlick said as well as the wind, small hailstones, lightning and thunder were also passing over the capital.

A yacht named Celtic Trader became wedged on a sandbar in Tauranga Harbour at low tide yesterday. After being battered by the wind it was able to refloat and sailed away.

Garlick said the worst of the stormy front moved through Upper Hutt early in the afternoon, though many in the city experienced a fair bit of wind and rain until later in the day.

She expected most of the wet weather to clear from the capital by Tuesday afternoon.

Marlborough was one of the areas worst affected by the heavy rain and gale force winds.

Weather Watch estimated a 60 per cent chance of settled weather Christmas day.

Lisa Murray, a meteorologist at MetService, says recorded data shows Christmas Day has historically been dry in the main centres.

Since 2007 rainfall has been recorded on only four Christmas days in Auckland, three in Christchurch, and two in Wellington.