This Labour Weekend is certainly a messy one to predict weather-wise says WeatherWatch.co.nz, as our chaotic and wild spring weather pattern continues across New Zealand and the South Pacific.
 
WeatherWatch.co.nz forecasters say most regions will genuinely have a mixed bag of weather this weekend. Sun, rain, wind, warm and cold all in there.

In short - we have a strong west to south west flow which will continue until Sunday night. By Monday a new and large low in the Tasman Sea will pose more severe weather threats to New Zealand - afterall, it is October!
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The Details...
On Friday a strong sou'west flow across New Zealand will mean fast moving showers for some, very cold for others, and sunny for those sheltered most from sou'westers (like Nelson for example). Winds will reach gale force in exposed areas south of Auckland but will ease as the day goes on - for some the winds may not ease entirely but should ease back from their peaks over Thursday and early Friday.
 
On Saturday the nation has a brief breather, unless you live on the West Coast and the Deep South. High pressure north of New Zealand will dip far enough south to bring a mostly settled Saturday to the upper North Island and while winds will build for central NZ and the South Island's east coast, it will be mostly dry - and slightly warmer. Heavy rain returns to the West Coast though. Watch for rain warnings. A cold blast is also going to move into Southland and Otago bringing snow flurries at night to a few hundred metres (but above the main centres) and sleet lower down to 100 or 200 metres - mostly overnight Queenstown may see an overnight flurry higher up on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Rain moves into the North Islands west coast at night/into Sunday morning.
 
Sunday and that cold change really impacts the lower South Island with single digit highs or low double digit highs for Southland and Otago. Canterbury may reach the low teens. In the North Island the data is still a bit conflicted about timing and just how much rain will fall - but either way Sunday has the highest chance for rain for the North Island, still around 60 to 70% confidence. Strong west to north west winds will ease by evening.
 
Labour Day Monday sees a dynamic shift in our weather - away from the blustery west to south west flow, to a very large low in the Tasman Sea. Early models pick this low will fill the entire Tasman Sea area - fuelled by cold southerlies coming in from the south and warm, moisture rich sub-tropical air from the north. In short it's a good recipe for deepening this low and some models are picking strong northerlies to strong easterlies - and rain will move in later on in the day. One to watch for further weather warnings - and one to watch for the start of next week regardless of the long weekend.
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Stay on top of the unsettled weather this long weekend...
Flying? Check our wind maps to see windy hot spots for your flights - domestic or anywhere around the world, we have your global wind maps covered.

Driving? Check out our rain forecast maps - see where the rain will be, how heavy it will be and just how long it will last.

Going by Ferry? All the swell maps are there for you - so you can see Cook Strait swell conditions or local harbour conditions.
All weather maps - going out 14 days - can be found here
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Check the forecasts...
WeatherWatch.co.nz now has detailed forecasts for Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch (and next year we roll out many more).

See our detailed forecasts - and the latest raw data forecasts for most other main centres in NZ - by clicking here.
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(c) WeatherWatch.co.nz - all our forecasts are independent of the government forecaster MetService
http://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/...cast-travel-forecast

Tomorrow will be a slightly more settled day compared to some we’ve had of late, a ridge will move over the country extending down from an anticyclone to the north of New Zealand.



Most places can expect reasonable weather however from afternoon cloud and showers will start to move onto the West Coast of the South Island, those showers move onto the west of the North Island later overnight.
 
Eastern regions in both islands are likely to have a nice day as a northerly airflow develops during Saturday, northwesterlies will become a bit strong however later in the day about Cook Strait.
 
And for our readers who don’t get to see the WeatherWatch.co.nz facebook page, I took this photograph yesterday up the top of Kennedys Bush Road here in Christchurch around 5pm. An area of heavy showers moved through Ashburton yesterday at 3.50pm and then moved through Christchurch giving northwestern suburbs of the city a good soaking.
 
These two showers were trailing just behind a little and the sun came out illuminating them which I thought looked quite nice and many others have enjoyed. I labelled them the “Twin Showers”.




Homepage image / 20th October 1pm rain - weathermap.co.nz
 Story image / Aaron Wilkinson
 
By weather analyist Aaron Wilkinson - WeatherWatch.co.nz
http://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/...y-start-long-weekend

We rate the travel conditions for road, air and sea for those heading away for the long weekend on either Friday afternoon/evening or Saturday morning. We also take a look at the weather in Australia and the tropics for the long weekend.
 
Please note, this is more of a comfort guide for travelling - please check detailed marine forecasts before heading out on the water this weekend. This video is intended for ferry and airline passengers, and drivers/passengers for motor vehicles..

Link to Video:



WeatherWatch.co.nz
http://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/...ecast-aussie-tropics

The unsettled weather seen across the North Island today, will stick around for tomorrow. At least for the early part of the day.



On the South Island, settled weather is expected to return overnight and stick around throughout Monday.
 
For the North Island, look for rain about the upper two-thirds of the island during the overnight hours. Around sunrise, the rain chances will go up for the lower NI, including Wellington and the Kapiti Coast. That means that for the first part of tomorrow, just about the entire North Island will have at least a chance for precipitation. Hawkes Bay will run the lowest risk for seeing any rain.
 
During the afternoon, the precipitation eases for much of the NI. Northland and Auckland may actually see the precipitation chances end. But the rest of the island will still likely see a few showers.
 
By evening, only the lower part of the island will see any chance for rain. So New Plymouth, Wanganui, the Kapiti Coast and Auckland could all still see a few showers.
 
On the South Island, much of the upper half of the island will start the day with some form of precipitation. Rain for the lower elevations. Snow for the higher elevations. The most widespread precipitation will be found about Nelson, the West Coast and Canterbury. The deep south will also likely see showers tomorrow morning. These areas are likely to see precipitation continue into the afternoon hours as well.
 
Precipitation will ease as we get into tomorrow evening.
 
Homepage image/ Weather map for Monday morning courtesy of Weathermap.co.nz
 

-WeatherWatch.co.nz
 http://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/...-could-be-pretty-wet