The fine start to the week is expected to end with heavy rain drenching parts of the country from tomorrow onwards.
Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
As a complex low-pressure system makes its way over the country during the next few days, the MetService had issued severe weather warnings and watches for rain and wind over the lower South Island.
"Hopefully there won't be a dampening of the Christmas spirit to go with the wet weather we'll see across New Zealand this week," MetService Meteorologist Rob Kerr said.
A severe weather rain warning has been issued for parts of Westland and Fiordland, along with a severe wind watch for inland parts of the island.
"Then the rain sweeps over the North Island during Wednesday and Thursday, followed by showers across the whole country on Friday as the low pulls away to the east," Kerr added.
A trough over the South Island moves slowly northeast over central and northern New Zealand during Thursday as a low develops on it to the east of the country, MetService explained in a statement.
While this trough is expected to bring rain to most places, a heavy rain warning is in force for Westland.
In Westland, north of Otira, Buller and the ranges of northwest Nelson, rain is expected to persist through Thursday. There is low confidence rainfall accumulations will reach warning criteria.
For the rest of Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury north of Rangiora, and from Wellington to Horowhenua, including the Tararua Range, there is moderate confidence of warnable amounts of rain on Thursday.
Furthermore, on Thursday, there is low risk of warning amounts of rain in Wairarapa excluding the Tararua Range, and Hawkes Bay.
For Manawatu to Waitomo, including the central high country, and across to the eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty, there is a low risk of heavy rain.
Then on Friday, a new low-pressure system approaches New Zealand from the Tasman Sea. It is expected to cross the country during the weekend bringing heavy rain to some regions.
There is a low confidence of rainfall accumulations reaching warning criteria in Canterbury south of Rangiora for this weekend.