Heavy rain and thunderstorms predicted for the north and west of both islands today are expected to clear over the weekend.

The vigorous low will be followed by a colder southerly flow.

People are being warned of cold temperatures this weekend. Photo: File.

'While most of the rain should disappear as the weekend progresses, people will also notice that things get a bit cooler,” says MetService meteorologist Stephen Glassey.

'Temperatures have been warmer than average across New Zealand this autumn due to a large number of northerly and north-west flows, so it is likely people will notice a bit of a change as the southerly makes an appearance.”

The low has already brought heavy rain to some places and several warnings are in force.

There is also a significant risk of thunderstorms in a number of areas during Friday.

'People should check the latest warnings and watches to see if warnings are in force in their area,” says Stephen. On Saturday, the rain is expected to ease back to showers, retreating to the eastern and southern parts of both islands.

The southerlies are also expected to be strong in these places, with gales likely about coastal areas.

'On Sunday, the southerlies should die out over New Zealand and the weather should fine up nicely over almost the whole country as higher pressure moves in,” adds Stephen.

Next week, the weather is looking more settled over New Zealand compared to this week, although another front is forecast to sweep over the country on Monday.