The mercury hit a sweltering 32C in Gisborne at 3pm today and MetService still had it at 31.9C out at the airport at 4pm.
It was expected to drop to 31C by 5pm, and “cool down” slowly from there.
By “cooling down”, MetService predicted 29C at 7pm.
MetService listed Gisborneat the “hottest place” in New Zealand at 3pm today – Gisborne was at No 1 on 32C, followed by Hastings at 31.8C, Wairoa at 31.7C and Napier at 31.2C.
“It’s not just these places feeling the burn ... much of the North Island is in the low 30s or high 20s,” it said on Facebook.
