Hawke's Bay looks to have best of the weekend weather

The weather was just right for fishing at the Tukituki river mouth at Haumoana on Wednesday. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hawke's Bay and the rest of the East Coast of the North Island is expected to be spared any of the stormy weather being forecast for other parts of New Zealand during the weekend.

Following frosts early yesterday, temperatures in Napier and Hastings were being forecast to stay over 10 degrees Celsius both today and tomorrow night, with a weekend maximum of 19C forecast for Napier tomorrow.

The temperature in Dannevirke was not expected to go below 5C, which compares with the 2-degree frost recorded early yesterday, when much of the area from Napier to Southern Hawke's Bay awoke a scene of bristling white and frosted windscreens.

Cloudy and gusty northwesterly conditions are forecast to develop in Napier-Hastings tomorrow, while rain is expected in the Dannevirke area tomorrow afternoon, possibly heavy in some places.

Fine weather was being forecast for Northern Hawke's Bay.

Forecasters were, however, predicting some snow in the South Island and a possible avalanche danger.

MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said a front would be slowly moving up the country today and tomorrow, also bringing strong, gusty winds, which could lead to a gale warning for the Wairarapa and Southern Hawke's Bay coast.