There is a week of unsettled weather ahead, with a series of fronts moving through, bringing a mixture of rain, thunderstorms, snow and strong winds to many regions.

A little bit of a breather on Tuesday afternoon is expected for much of the North Island and some of the South Island, which may give the washing a window of opportunity to dry out.

"An unstable northwest flow affects the North Island and upper South Island today, bringing heavy showers with thunderstorms," says MetService meteorologist Ciaran Doolin.

"The main risk of thunderstorms is for the western North Island from Raglan to Hawera, especially from this evening. These thunderstorms will be accompanied by mostly small hail, but the hail may be larger (5-15 mm) from Raglan to Hawera.”

Meanwhile, a low pressure system east of Banks Peninsula brings heavy rain to Canterbury; a Severe Weather Warning is in place for this through until Monday night. Snow is forecast above 300 metres in Canterbury, and there is a warning in force for heavy snow above 500 metres.

"People in the Canterbury area, especially trampers, are advised to look out for rapidly-rising rivers and streams, and localised flooding and slips,” says Ciaran. "Heavy snow on the hills is likely to cause disruption to transport and could place stress on livestock.”

Through Tuesday and Wednesday, a trough of low pressure moves up the country and is followed by an active front which approaches the West Coast from the Tasman Sea on Wednesday. This front will be preceded by strong or gale northerlies and makes its way up the country on Thursday, bringing heavy, thundery rain to western areas and scattered falls further east. The northerlies are expected to bump up the temperatures in eastern areas, with Christchurch forecast to reach 18 degrees on Thursday.

"Heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds are expected to affect a number of areas between brief settled periods, so be sure to keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any Severe Weather Warnings or Watches that are issued.”