Enjoy the sun while it lasts because a storm is coming, and nowhere will be dry after it's done.
Fine, sunny weather over much of the country today will be battered out of the way by a front brewing in the Tasman Sea, MetService meteorologist Micky Malivuk says.
It will hit the South Island first tomorrow afternoon, bringing heavy rain and strong winds, hitting the West Coast hardest.
Heavy rain also was forecast for Eastern Otago at the weekend.
A low was then expected to develop and bang head-on into the North Island late Friday night, and into Saturday, from the northwest.
It will be quite different to the southerly storm of two weeks ago, which brought gusts of 213km/h at Manukau Heads, Malivuk said.
"This one will be more tropical, heavier air. However, rain and winds could reach warning levels from Northland to Waikato and Coromandel Peninsula," Malivuk said.
This equates to the possibility of more than 50-100mm of rain falling in places over 24 hours and wind gusts of more than 110km/h.
MetService was yet to issue weather watches or warnings related to this system, however it would likely do so later today, Malivuk said.
On Saturday and Sunday heavy rain was possible for northern Westland, Buller, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury and eastern Otago.
In the North Island, heavy rain was also likely for Northland, Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo and northern Gisborne.
Winds could reach severe gale level over much of the North Island during the weekend, and in Nelson, Buller and northern Westland in the south.
From Sunday to Monday, heavy rain was possible about Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, and Wellington.
A ridge was likely to form over the South Island on Sunday bringing more settled weather, but the low will persist in the North Island.
Today though, is time to make the most of the good weather.
"Today is very much calm before the storm," Malivuk said.
"Fine and sunny weather with light winds is forecast over most of the country today, with just a few showers in south Westland and periods of rain in Fiordland."
Christchurch tops the main centres on 20degC today with light winds. Dunedin was also in for mild, fine weather and a high of 18degC.
After the wet and windy weekend, Tuesday is forecast to settle down in the North Island.
"That ridge will remain over the South Island, and remnants of the low will hang around into next week around the North Island. But the weather should settle down through the week with reasonably fine weather forecast."
After the wet and windy weekend, Tuesday was forecast to settle down in the North Island.
"That ridge will remain over the South Island, and remnants of the low will hang around into next week around the North Island," Malivuk said.
"But the weather should settle down through the week with reasonably fine weather forecast."
