Easter bunny cloud brought to Hawke’s Bay by thermal temperatures - but more threatening clouds are ahead

The Easter bunny arrived early in the skies over Napier for Gliding Hawke's Bay & Waipukurau members Jason and Brian Kelly. Photo / Jason Kelly

The Easter Bunny has been spotted early over Hawke’s Bay as unusually warm thermal winds combined to produce a truly egg-cellent cloud formation.

The cloud, spotted over Napier from the glider window of Jason and Brian Kelly on Sunday, is as good a sign as any to get your outdoor festivities over quickly this Easter.

Put simply, there are far more threatening clouds ahead in the forecast for the Bay this weekend.

MetService meteorologist Clare O’Connor said Hawke’s Bay had one of the worst forecasts in the country for Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday with rain, and cold blustery southerlies and south-easterlies set to be quite persistent.

“By Easter Monday it clears up for a nice enough day, but by then your long weekend is over.”

She said the expected travel path of the front could result in rain warnings for Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa on Saturday or Sunday.

“The southerly winds could also be quite gusty and will be strong in exposed places, especially around the eastern North Island.”

O’Connor said both Hastings and Napier had topped 28C on Wednesday due to north-westerly conditions, with 24C coming on Thursday still making the Bay the warmest place in the country.

But Friday would bring a dramatic southerly drop to 17C and single-digits overnight, with similar temperatures likely over the weekend as a front from north of Bay of Plenty then sweeps around the east coast.

O’Connor said north of Napier and Wairoa was likely to see sustained rain.