There are just a few more beach days left before rain sets in across much of New Zealand next week and temperatures plummet nearly 10C.
Temperatures sat in the mid-20s for nearly all of the North Island on Thursday, according to MetService, but this is about to change once a cooler air mass moves over the country.
"Much of the South Island will see a dramatic swing, with Central Otago and Southland predicted to plummet from this week's high twenties to the teens by Wednesday," MetService says.
"Invercargill, in particular, should expect a remarkable plunge, going from 27C to a mere 13C. The North Island also sees a few regions dropping nearly ten degrees."
The ridge of high pressure that's dominated New Zealand's weather is starting to break down, meaning rain, strong winds, and cooler temperatures can slip through.
Although the high pressure will keep the weather mostly dry into the weekend, there will still be some showers for inland areas in the afternoons and evenings. Some of these may be heavy with the odd thunderstorm.
There will be fine weather for most parts of the country, but northerly winds will start picking up over the South Island and there may be sea breezes during the America's Cup Prada Challenger Series in Auckland this weekend.
A low in the Tasman Sea will gradually push west as the high breaks down, MetService says. Its fronts are forecast to bring rain and strong winds to much of New Zealand, starting with the west coast of the South Island from Saturday afternoon. The fronts will spread slowly north and east, and the rain is expected to linger for most of the next week.
WeatherWatch says New Zealand's location on Earth means there will be mid-summer weather changes, like this one, from time to time.
"The next several days ahead are quite changeable with a hot, dry, end to this week for most - but a windy, colder, week on the way for many," the forecaster says.
