Your weather: Chilly morning clears to fine day, three month outlook predicts little rain for dry upper North Island

Auckland CBD on April 17. Photo / Michael Craig.

A chilly morning has greeted most of the country with fine weather giving a clear autumn day when the upper North Island could use more rain.

MetService meteorologist Andrew James said the central plateau was the coldest part of North Island overnight with a frost settling in parts of Wairarapa and an area south of Waiouru dipping to -3.3C.

"In the South Island St Arnaud, which is a small settlement near Nelson Lakes National Park, got down to -1C. So it's pretty chilly.

"Plenty of temperatures across both islands in those low single digits.

"But it is that time of year isn't it?"

There had been plenty of moisture in the air and time for cooling overnight causing patches of fog around the Hamilton, Rotorua and Auckland airports this morning, he said.

"That fog will burn off this morning and then it is pretty much just going to be a fine day for the North Island."

Later today a front would bring showers to the western part of the South Island, weakening as it moved north and this was expected to repeat tomorrow.

It was also a similar story tomorrow for the North Island, with fog clearing to reveal a fine day, however there would be some showers across Bay of Plenty and Coromandel in the morning.

Those scattered showers were expected to move inland as the day wore on.

Niwa Meteorologist Ben Noll said a big focus in the long-range outlook was when the upper North Island would finally get some meaningful rainfall.

In Auckland, the region's water storage dams recently dropped below 50 per cent, while some rain for Northland has not been enough to lift the region's drought.

"Unfortunately, through the end of the month here in April, there is very little if any rainfall forecast for those areas."

In fact the three-month outlook from April to June predicted equal chances for near normal or below normal rainfall, he said.

"Usually, through the autumn and into the winter this is when New Zealand starts to see more regular rainfall events - so fronts impacting an area every few days and also the opportunity for heavier rainfall events."

However, many folks looking outside today across the North Island might not be able to distinguish it from a late summer's day, he said.

"It is quite nice across much of the island."

The first week of May might deliver some rain to New Zealand.

"That is some good news but we are going to need quite a bit of rainfall over the coming season to really alleviate those dry conditions."

Main centre forecasts today

Whangārei
Fine. Light winds. High 21C, low 12C

Auckland
Fine. Light winds. 20C, 12C

Hamilton
Morning cloud clearing to fine by afternoon. Light winds. 20C, 7C

Tauranga
Fine. Light winds. 20C, 12C

Wellington
Fine, apart from evening cloud. Northerlies. 17C, 14C

Christchurch
Fine with increasing high cloud. Light winds. 18C, 6C

Dunedin
Fine spells but cloud increasing this afternoon. Light winds. 15C, 8C

Source: MetService