New Zealand Weekend Forecast, Friday July 4th – Sunshine Down South, Rain up North

Mountainwatch | The Grasshopper

A perfect day in the southern lakes ,  sunny with a good cover after a front brought 10–12cm of snow to the South Island on Thursday. That fine weather will continue tomorrow in the southern lakes while it will be cloudy in Canterbury with a few light snowfalls.

It has been a tough week for North Island resorts, Ruapehu had rain and strong winds, closing Turoa. More rain hits the North Island Friday–Saturday. Light snow (5–10cm) and cloud for the South Island clears by Sunday, with fine weather into Monday.

 Friday July 4th

Friday brings mostly clear skies above the low cloud in the Southern Lakes, while Canterbury stays overcast with snow setting in overnight. Ruapehu deals with rain and strong northwesterlies.

Saturday July 5th

Saturday sees lingering low cloud in the Southern Lakes, affecting visibility low down but offering blue skies up high. Canterbury stays socked in with light snowfall, and Ruapehu remains wet until evening when rain finally clears as winds shift southeast.

 Sunday July 6th to Tuesday July 8th July

Sunny skies and light winds dominate Sunday and Monday across all ski fields, with lingering cloud clearing early in Canterbury, while Tuesday starts fine before cloud and northeast winds build ahead of a front.

Extended Forecast

Mid next week (Wednesday 9th or Thursday 10th), weak fronts from the west are set to bring mild northerlies, light rain, and some high snow to South Island ski areas.

By the weekend, another Tasman low could hit the North Island, delivering heavy rain and high snow to Ruapehu, while colder easterlies and southerlies may bring decent snowfalls to the South Island, especially in Canterbury.