Wet and windy weather forecast to move up the west coast: Northland to get heavy rain later in the week

Multiple regions across the country are expected to face heavy rain, potential gale-force winds, and possible thunderstorms this week.

The lower South Island is expected to be hit first on Tuesday morning with frosty and fresh weather changing to cloudy conditions, accompanied by gusty northwesterly winds and rain, according to MetService.

The heaviest rain will be in the west, with potential for thunder.

The front is predicted to move up the west coast of the South Island through the day and into the evening.

The majority of the North Island will likely avoid the rain on Tuesday, but parts of the west coast will be impacted on Wednesday, MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden said.

Then on Thursday, another shift in the weather is expected after the first front moves off, with the upper North Island predicted to take the biggest hit.

Northland will likely get prolonged periods of showers as a new front sinks down from the north and hangs over the region, said Lynden.

MetService meteorologist Clare O’Connor said the northern North Island will escape the worst of the weather earlier in the week, but that will change come Thursday.

“Again, we are expecting heavy rain, potentially gale westerly winds, and maybe even some thunderstorms.”

MetService is forecasting wet and windy weather to move up the country from the early hours of Tuesday. Photo / MetService

O’Connor said the front tracking northward up the country earlier in the week has a lot going on, including “heavy rain and thunderstorms right along the entire western coast; the chance of severe gale northwesterly winds for Canterbury High Country and the lower North Island; and potentially a fresh dump of spring snow for the southern ski fields”.

“This week is really embodying what we think of as spring conditions.”

Southern ski fields such as Treble Cone, Cardrona, Coronet Peak, and the Remarkables will receive the most snow, but many others will “see a little bit of snow through the week”, Lynden said.

The rain is predicted to bring warmer temperatures with it, especially in the North Island, Lynden said.

The shift in weather is in contrast to the clear and bright Monday morning, which allowed for good viewing of the blood moon lunar eclipse.