Over the North Island a front is directing a band of rain eastwards,bringing some heavy falls into Auckland and Coromandel this afternoon and into the Bay of Plenty this evening. Behind the front, winds change to a stronger southwesterly and a blustery night can be expected, particularly for Auckland. A Severe Weather Watch for heavy rain and strong winds is currently in force for many parts of the upper North Island; details and updates can be found at http://metservice.com/warnings/severe-weather-watch. 

Meanwhile a cold front marches north over the South Island, bringing periods of rain and cooler, gusty southwest winds. As temperatures lower behind this front, expect snow levels to lower to around 400m in Southland and 600m over the Canterbury high country this evening and Friday morning. Road Snow Warnings have been issued for many South Island passes.

Both frontal systems move off the country on Friday, and the weather begins to ease into the weekend. "The high pressure currently sitting over the  Tasman Sea begins to make its presence felt on Saturday," commented MetService meteorologist Angus Hines, "bringing calmer weather and clear  skies for many places this weekend." While the high pressure looks set to persist into the start of next week, a weak front may sweep across the country later on the weekend, bringing cloud and a few showers to some places. 

Keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings at metservice.com or on mobile devices at m.metservice.com. You can also follow our updates on MetService TV, at MetService New Zealand on Facebook, @metservice on Twitter and at blog.metservice.com.