MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said the severe gales were caused by an active front working its way up from the South Island, where it had caused many wind and rain watches and warnings.
At the tail end of the wind, some hot October temperatures for the region are coming, including 30C in Hastings and 28C in Napier on Thursday.
The average temperature in Hastings for October is 19.5C and 19C for Napier.
“That’s going to be stinking hot,” Pawley said.
“On Thursday, we are expecting another active front to move across, dropping a whole lot of rain and making some strong winds for much of the country, and what we see for eastern parts when that happens is those temperatures really ramp up.”
Although Thursday looks to be the peak of the heat, the rest of the week will remain warm, with highs of 28C and 26C expected on Tuesday and Wednesday in Hastings, while Napier enjoys highs of 27C and 25C.
Temperatures will take a bit of a dip around the region as Hawke’s Bay Anniversary weekend arrives, with highs of 22C and 23C predicted for Hastings from Friday, while Napier is expected to be sitting on between 21C and 23C.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand Hawke’s Bay community risk manager Nigel Hall said fire danger levels across the region would be high because of the strong winds, warm temperatures and lower than average soil moisture for this time of year.
“That means that if a fire gets into a shelter belt or into a plantation of trees it could rapidly develop and spread.
“Although there are no fire restrictions currently in place, the next few days are not the days to be lighting an outdoor fire.
“People must put this off to another day, and that includes fires at the beach or by rivers.”
