First snow, then rainbows: Hawke's Bay's autumnal weather

A rainbow in Hatuma, near Waipukurau on Thursday signals a warm autumnal end to the week. Photo / Kiri Kirk

In a week where Hawke's Bay received its first light dusting of snow on the Ruahine mountain range, weekend temperatures are set to hit 25C.

MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said the region should brace for a drop in overnight lows but that will be followed by a 24C weekend in Hastings and a 25C weekend in Napier.

"Over the weekend, we've got cloudy spells with scattered morning rain on Saturday, which are due to clear and become fine in the afternoon," Corrigan said.

"It will be fine on Sunday, with some cloud increasing throughout the day. But it should be a dry day on Sunday."

MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said overnight lows will reach single figures in the coming days. Photo / Paul Taylor

Next week sees winds gather pace, as temperatures continue to fall, according to Corrigan.

"Looking into next week it looks like it will be mostly cloudy with a few spots of morning rain expected on Monday," he said.

"It's likely to be mostly cloudy of Tuesday, with some rain forecast to develop on Wednesday."

Napier and Hastings can expect Monday highs of 20C with the latter reaching lows in the single figures.

"On Tuesday, Napier and Hastings are both looking at highs of 19C and lows of 11C," he added.

"While on Wednesday, both areas will see developing rain and southeasterlies."

Despite a high of 18C on Thursday, Hastings could see a low of just 9C.