Spring weather: South Island braces for heavy rain, cold starts for the North Island

New Zealand faces a whirlwind start to spring with “multiple rounds of heavy rain” in the western South Island this week.

“Gusty westerly winds, snow in the Southern Alps and chilly temperatures” are also predicted, Niwa Weather warned.

Meanwhile, more pleasant conditions are forecast for much of the North Island.

Unsettled weather will continue across NZ in the coming days, featuring

🌧️ Multiple rounds of heavy rain in the western South Island

🍃 Gusty westerly winds

❄️ Snow in the Southern Alps

🥶 Chilly temperatures

⛅Wednesday will be the exception, with pleasant weather expected pic.twitter.com/Xh3vJyuICY

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) September 1, 2025

MetService forecaster Oscar Shiviti told the Herald several showers would fall across the top half of the North Island today.

“That should persist for the whole day.

“On Wednesday, we’re expecting an easing off of things with light winds expected and probably clear skies as a high-pressure system moves over the top half of the country.”

However, showery conditions were forecast to return in the second half of the week, Shiviti said.

“We think the showers may increase as they move closer towards the end of the weekend.”

The forecaster also said overnight temperatures would be higher in the second half of the week.

“We are expecting areas in the North Island to be frosty for today and tomorrow with overnight temperatures to be between 0C and 3C in some areas.

“When we go from Thursday into the weekend, we see overnight temperatures around 10C. That may be noticeable for a lot of people.”

According to MetService, Auckland is forecast to reach a high of 16C and a low of 8C tomorrow and soar to a high of 19C with a low of 12C on Friday.

Road snowfall warnings in place for South Island alpine roads are forecast to expire late this morning.

David Williams is an Auckland-based Multimedia Journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics.

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