Bay of Plenty set for a wet and warm start to the week

More muggy nights are expected, and so is the rain. Photo / Michael Craig

Light duvets and air conditioning could be key to a good night's sleep this week as humid weather continues in the Bay of Plenty.

Some might be relieved to know the muggy weather will ease as the week goes on, with cooler temperatures forecast for later in the week, but not before more rain.

MetService meteorologist John Law said people would have noticed it was "incredibly warm and humid" on Sunday night.

In Whakatāne, temperatures reached a minimum of 16.8C - the warmest October night since records began in 1974.

"For a minimum temperature that's pretty exceptional for this time of year."

The temperature in Tauranga matched its second-warmest October night on record at 16.6C. Records began there in 1941.

It was not just a warm night, but a wet night, carried along by a northwesterly wind.

"That kind of just fed through. It was a pretty wet-looking day [on Sunday] across the patch."

In the 24 hours to about 10.30am on Monday, there had been a range in rain amounts with about 83mm falling in Whakatāne, 67.9mm in Rotorua and 39mm in Tauranga.

The northwesterly was here to stay for the next few days, and more warm weather too and while Law expected last night to be slightly cooler, it would remain "muggy" throughout the week.

Conditions were expected to become fine today after more rain yesterday but there was still potential for an isolated shower.

This fine spell would be short-lived though, with a wet Wednesday forecast, most likely to be later in the day.

"As we head towards the end of the week we should hopefully start to find things settle down."

While bad weather had recently caused trouble in the region, a Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency spokeswoman said there had been only one serious issue from the weekend's rain. This was a new large slip in the Waiotahe Beach area, State Highway 2 on Monday. The road was closed between Waiotahe Valley Back Rd and Paerata Ridge Rd, west of Ōpōtiki, and was expected to be closed for much of the day.

A detour was put in place via Waiotahe Valley Back Rd, Verrall Rd and Paerata Ridge Rd but was not suitable for high-productivity motor vehicles.

Long delays were expected with heavy vehicle freight piloted through this detour route periodically.

This slip follows another large slip on this stretch of highway on October 19, where about 10,000 cubic metres of material came down on to the road.

The region had experienced significant rainfall, coastal surges and strong winds this year, all of which put pressure on a roading network that was already susceptible to unstable geology.

Drivers were reminded to take care and drive to the conditions.