Wednesday (25th September)

South Island resorts will start with clear skies in the morning, but clouds will develop by the afternoon, especially in the Southern Lakes, where heavy rain is expected overnight. Northwest winds will slowly intensify.

Mt Ruapehu will experience a sunny day, with southerly winds gradually weakening and shifting westward.

Thursday & Friday (26th & 27th September)

Thursday will bring challenging conditions to the South Island, with gale-force northwest winds and heavy rain moving north. A colder westerly change will bring light snow to the Southern Lakes by the afternoon and to Canterbury in the evening, clearing overnight, with likely disruptions, especially in Canterbury.

Mt Ruapehu will see increasing clouds, with rain arriving by evening as southwest winds shift northwest and strengthen.

On Friday, cold southwest winds will bring clouds and light snow showers to the Southern Lakes, while Canterbury will stay clear and sunny. Mt Ruapehu will see heavy rain easing to light snowfall by opening time, with cloudy skies for the rest of the day.

The Weekend (28th & 29th September)

Saturday will be mostly cloudy for the Southern Lakes, while Canterbury enjoys sunny weather as cold southwesterlies shift to warmer westerlies. Mt Ruapehu will also have a sunny day with light, chilly southerly winds turning westerly. On Sunday, west to southwest winds will bring partly cloudy skies to the South Island and early light snow showers to Mt Ruapehu.

Thanks for reading. I'll continue to provide these forecasts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout the southern hemisphere season.

Mike O'Connor