Summer lingers in island's top half for last week of daylight saving

Ryan Rooke, 3, and mother Elize make the most of the warm weather at the Parnell Pools. Photo / Greg Bowker

Daylight saving ends next weekend and the last week of long summertime hours is looking to be mostly fine with cloudy periods as a "dirty high" hangs over the country.

When clocks are turned back an hour at 3am next Sunday, it will mark the onset of a fairly typical autumn, with cooler temperatures and frosts - but with slightly less rainfall expected.

MetService duty forecaster Liz Walsh said a persistent high-pressure system meant weather would be mainly fine for Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne.

"It's what we call a dirty high," she said. "It's a high-pressure system but it's got cloud trapped underneath it which can stay in place. And because there is very light wind the cloud doesn't tend to move very much through the period."

Ms Walsh said the weather conditions resulted in a "diurnal effect" where it was cloudy or foggy in the mornings and evenings.

"For a lot of areas like Northland right through and down to Taupo, you're basically looking at areas of cloud or fog morning and night, otherwise fine during the day."

In the lower North Island and South Island, cloud would be heavier, and some drizzle was expected in Fiordland.

Maximum temperatures in Auckland would be in the mid 20s this week, with lows to 13C or 14C overnight.

Central and lower North Island temperatures would reach the early 20s and in the South Island they would sit in the late teens, dropping to single digits in both areas.

Niwa's seasonal summary will not be released until later this week, but climate scientists' outlook for March through to May was for average temperatures with less-than-average rainfall.

Ms Walsh said that forecast had been accurate so far, and the week ahead looked to be the same.

Daylight saving will recommence on September 28.

5 ways to enjoy the last of daylight saving

• Revisit the best of your summer BBQ favourites.
• Go for an evening walk - soon it will be dark before you finish work.
• Icecream - hold off on the soup just yet.
• Head to the beach/river/lake. It would also be rude not to have a swim while you're there.
• Make the most of locally grown summertime produce (before you have to start paying for the imported versions).