Fine spells, strong wind and temperature drops expected for Hawke’s Bay

Strong winds may hit some areas of Hawke's Bay this week as autumn temperatures loom. Photo / Paul Taylor

Unpredictable autumn weather is set to bring the good and the bad to Hawke’s Bay over the next week.

Those attending outdoor Dawn Service commemorations in the region this year are advised to wrap up warm as chilly temperatures hit the region on Anzac Day.

While the day isn’t set to bring any showers, strong gusts may make themselves known in the evening, with MetService issuing a yellow strong wind watch for areas south of Hastings that will be in place for 11 hours from 10pm Tuesday to 9am Wednesday.

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said that besides a cold morning and a windy night, the rest of Anzac Day looks to be relatively fine.

“People who are observing [Anzac commemorations] outdoors should have quite a good sunrise to look forward to,” she said.

“We are looking at around mid-single digit temperatures, the minimum temperature for Napier is looking to be around 5C, Hastings about 4C and Wairoa 6C.”

Throughout the day, maximum temperatures look to reach 20C, with not much cloud expected and “plenty of sunshine,” on the way.

The wind will pick up from the west that night, and Makgabutlane said people should expect quite strong wind speeds in exposed areas.

A cold front will move through the region quickly on Wednesday, bringing with it some showers that could possibly linger on early into Thursday.

“Thursday daytime temperatures look to be around the mid-teens, and it’ll certainly feel like an autumn-y, maybe even a wintry day even though the bulk of the rain and cloud should have already cleared.”

Makgabutlane said these temperatures may be a little bit slow to recover due to a wind creating a cooler air mass over the country, and people should be prepared for temperature variation for the rest of the working week and weather spells leading into the next few weeks as seasons change.