Santa might have good weather to deliver presents on Christmas Eve, but it will be a soggy day for much of NZ afterwards. Photo: 123RF
It has been a rainy start to Christmas week so far, and holidaymakers planning outdoor activities are advised to make most of the sunny weather today.
MetService said today's weather is the best pick of the Christmas week, with sunny spells across much of the country.
Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty will mostly be fine today.
Gisborne and Hawke's Bay will also mostly be fine today, with isolated showers inland.
The area from Waikato to Wellington will be clearing up today, after yesterday's rain.
Meanwhile, rain is expected on Christmas Day, with a cold front bringing rain in the morning along the western half of the South Island, and extending eastwards in the afternoon.
Northland and Auckland are in for a wet and humid Christmas Day afternoon while Wellington, Hawke's Bay and Gisborne are some of the big winners this Christmas.
MetService predicts the morning will be largely fine for the upper North Island, but warns wet weather will spoil the festive fun.
"If you're up in the North Island, things do start out better than they will end," meteorologist Clare O'Connor said.
"As we get later in the day we're going to have a quite humid, warm and rainy northerly wind come over and that will first affect Northland and then Auckland, so showers [will develop] - possibly heavy showers as well."
That rain would be felt by parts of the central North Island, too.
"Then the other part of the North Island will see some showers in the central and Wairarapa areas, and potential for some thunderstorms popping up there."
Although many Wellingtonians had fled the capital, O'Connor said those who had stayed could count themselves lucky.
"Wellington is actually one of the places to be, which is probably surprising to most Wellingtonians... It is a little bit cloudy but overall fairly dry, northerly winds. Fairly standard," she said.
The eastern North Island was also sitting pretty.
"Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, that should be pretty dry up there. Warmest place tomorrow does look to be Gisborne at 28 degrees," she said.
"Also Marlborough is looking to have some nice weather."
The South Island was a mixed bag, she said.
"For the South Island, things start out wet in the west but drier in the east. The rain will ease off in the west of the South Island in the afternoon, but as it moves over we'll also see some showers through inland Canterbury and Otago," O'Connor said.
"Christchurch and Dunedin will start out a bit cloudier, possibly some drizzle down in Otago. Might be a bit of sunshine in the afternoon but the low cloud does come back in the evening with a chance of showers."
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