Latest weather forecast: Saturday set to be wettest of Labor’s rain-ravaged weekend

“The Bay of Plenty could be drier on Sunday and Monday as winds shift from northerly to westerly, but we are expecting showers across much of the country on Sunday and Monday,” MetService meteorologist Claire O’Connor said.

Continued rain and showers are also expected over the weekend in southern centres, including Blenheim, Nelson, Westport, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Ahead of this rain, meteorologists are focused on the wet torrent once again bringing heavy downpours to the west coast of the South Island over the next two days.

MetService has issued several orange warnings for heavy rain for these regions, which could reach a maximum of 300mm across Westland over a 28-hour period starting late this evening.

With that heavy rain comes wind, with north-westerly winds likely to reach gale force across exposed areas of the Canterbury Highlands throughout tomorrow, and in the Wairarapa, Wellington and Marlborough Sounds from Thursday night into Friday morning.

O’Connor said these warm flows could also raise river levels by melting snow in the upper mountains of southern river watersheds.

“We just want people to be aware of it because even if you don’t see a lot of rain around you, river levels will likely still rise.”

The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council also warned travelers to be wary of weather conditions ahead of the weekend.

“It’s important to have a clear plan, tell someone where you’re going and pack for all occasions, both for day trips and overnight trips,” said council chief executive Mike Daisley.

In the north-eastern regions, warm flows across the Tasman Sea from Australia have already contributed to rising temperatures.

MetService is forecasting highs in the early 20s for centers including Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton and Christchurch around the end of the week, with Napier and Hastings possibly seeing a summer high of 28C on Thursday.

This week’s weather continues a month of extreme rainfall contrasts in New Zealand.

Niwa said Dunedin and other parts of Otago were receiving more than three times normal rainfall for October, while Napier’s rainfall total was just 12% of normal at the start of the week.

The pattern was the result of repeated westerly flows – a typical sign of spring weather – bringing wet fronts to places like the southwest and drier conditions to the northeast.

Jamie Morton is a specialist in science and environmental journalism. He joined Herald in 2011 and writes about everything from the environment and climate change to natural disasters and new technologies.

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