While much of the northern parts of the country are languishing in yet another dry summer - a sprinkle of rain and a tropical cyclone could soon bring some relief.
Dry areas in the north are in for some much-needed rain over the next few days - but it won't be enough, WeatherWatch says.
"This week kicks off with a fairly weak rainmaker to the north of NZ and it's bringing in some wet weather - but the totals aren't huge. We're seeing values of 10 to 35mm for the most part."
The rain comes after another year of below normal rainfall for Auckland and the Far North.
"Helpful rain today and tomorrow in the top half of the North Island, but for many it will still be frustratingly short of what is needed," WeatherWatch says.
"We're keeping an eye on the tropics - the next low to head southwards with the next chance of rain looks to be around January 31 to February 2."
And a cyclone could also provide some respite. WeatherWatch says a tropical cyclone is expected to form in the Fiji/Vanuatu area in the coming week.
"Long term and both GFS (American) and ECMWF (European) modelling show the tropical storm entering the Tasman Sea late January/February 1."
WeatherWatch says the cyclone is likely to come from the north to north-west - which bodes well for rain. But it could be bad news for the South Island.
"If we can get a low in the Tasman, to our west, this often bodes better for rainfall chances in the North Island...but potentially for severe weather into the South Island too.
"It's too early to lock in. For now we're monitoring the globe's most accurate long term computer modelling and we have no sudden forecast of rain for northern NZ beyond the patchy rain today and tomorrow."
WeatherWatch says at this stage there is no threat to land in the tropics.
