It's been a mixed start to the week for New Zealand in the weather department, with cool temperatures in the bottom half of the country, tropical heat in the north and Wellington and other regions getting heavy downpours.
The capital has been battered by wild weather this morning, with torrential rain causing significant flooding on Paekakariki Hill and reports of floodwaters entering buildings in the suburbs of Newlands, Karori, Tawa and Seatoun.
But things are likely to get a little more settled countrywide as the week goes on, with MetService forecasting weaker westerlies winds and warm, muggy air for large swathes of the country.
Meteorologist Tui McInnes says for the most part, it'll be wet in the west of New Zealand and dry in the east.
"Westerly winds bring continued showery, wet weather to the western coasts, especially for the South Island. East of our mountain ranges, drier weather prevails," he explains.
"However, given the time of year, some afternoon showers and maybe a thunderstorm or two could pop up - although this is very localised and not widespread."
McInnes says New Zealand's weather this week will be characterised by cloudy skies and warm nights.
"Plenty of moisture hanging around our latitudes makes for some often-cloudy skies, particularly in western regions. And while we don't quite get the calm, clear, sunny weather, we do get warmth," he says.
"Once Monday's rain peters out, temperatures climb into the 20s for most towns and cities. But it's the overnight temperatures that might be more noticeable, making it hard to sleep with the duvet overnight for the North Island in particular.
"The weather is a bit of a mixed bag this week, but for most Kiwis the sun will soon be out, and that warmth will return!"
WeatherWatch says a cold change moving up the country on Friday will make it as far as the lower North Island before petering out, and will fail to bring a noticeable drop in temperatures to Auckland and other northern regions.
"This morning at 7am it was 21C in Auckland City and across parts of Northland, Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay. At the other end of NZ were single-digit temperatures - and in fact tonight there is even a frost risk for some inland parts of the South Island," the forecaster said.
"Mild airflows and thick cloud cover are the reason Auckland and northerners have warm nights for sleeping - but it's also the same reason why daytime temperatures aren't too high either. Auckland's 'feels like' temperature both by day and by night this week hovers between 19-24C."
