A muddled, chaotic spring weather pattern will split the country this coming weekend as the South Island is hit by a chill and the north gets warm weather.
Weatherwatch's five-day outlook shows that while central and northern parts of the North Island could see up to 50mm of rain, it will be warm.
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The south will be relatively dry in comparison but colder.
MetService is showing a similar forecast, with Sunday meant to be a wet day across the North Island - particularly in coastal Taranaki areas.
"On Sunday, a warm front from the west brings rain back to the North Island, while a cold front sweeps up the South Island, bringing a spell of showers and briefly lowering snow levels down to 400m in the far south."
There will also be a split in temperatures this weekend, with Weatheratch saying Sunday is a "great example of spring".
"It will be cold in the South Island and lower North Island, while a low with mild nor'westers affects the upper North Island".
Eastern parts of the South Island will be cold at the end of the week with single-digit highs. Some areas won't even break 7C at the warmest part of the day. Dunedin and Christchurch will also be "bleak".
"The North Island will be colder in the lower half and milder in the northern half with the top of the country in the mid to late teens. There will be mix of rain, showers, drizzle and dry spells over the island."
The forecaster says parts of the North Island will see highs of around 18C.
As the cold eventually moves up the North Island it will collide with rain over the Central Plateau, turning that rain to snow.
"Heavy snow is expected around the Central North Island mountains and ranges and some snow might impact the Desert Road and plateau from Sunday to Tuesday," Weatherwatch says.
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