Changeable weather is on the way as Easter approaches - but what the weather will do this weekend is unknown.
MetService said a cold, showery front is moving over the North Island on Monday while a ridge and fine conditions build over the South Island. Fronts and high pressure are expected to tag team in the week ahead, so there are likely to be a few days of unsettled weather.
Another cold front is expected to affect the South Island on Wednesday and the lower North Island on Thursday. The front will bring showers or rain, mainly to the west. Northwest winds ahead of the front lead to a short upward spike in temperatures for eastern coasts.
MetService meteorologist April Clark said other than cooler early morning temperatures and patches of fog, Tuesday looks to be the most settled day of the week. Only Fiordland and Stewart Island will see any significant showers during the day.
"The Christchurch daytime high forecast graphs will look a lot like a wave this week with the forecast daytime high of 22C on Wednesday dropping down to the mid-teens again on Thursday," Clark said.
On Friday, another ridge of high pressure brings settled weather once more, though a low to the north brings the possibility of rain to Northland, and MetService said their meteorologists have their eye on that.
MetService warned that Easter weekend still holds a lot of uncertainty, with the battle between the ridge and low pressure to the north and west is still undecided in the models.
They added that due to this uncertainty, holiday weekend forecasts will change in the coming days.
There's a similar pattern of highs and lows over in Australia, with some settled spells just like in New Zealand but also windy and colder bursts in the mix too. NIWA said while air masses from the Southern Ocean will visit New Zealand this week and bring May-like temperatures, our weather will gradually warm up thanks to the warmer air coming over from Australia.
As Easter weekend arrives, there are still some low-pressure zones to the north of New Zealand and a high to the east.
WeatherWatch said this isn't a very strong high, so that is why it's worth keeping an eye on.
Easter Sunday looks fairly dry, WeatherWatch said, but the low that "just won't get out of the way" could still be driving in some rain.
