Temperatures are starting to soar as parts of the country get set for a scorching weekend with eastern parts of the North Island set to hit 30C.
Although the temperatures are high, the South Island is in for a deluge of persistent, heavy rain that is expected to last for 27 hours and carries multiple warnings.
West Coast Emergency Management said it was “closely monitoring” the forecast as the region braced for 400mm of rain from today until lunchtime tomorrow.
MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said there would be higher-than-average temperatures today.
Aucklanders could expect to enjoy temperatures of up to 24C, which would continue throughout the weekend.
The mercury was expected to shoot up to 29C for Hastings and Napier today as a scorching weekend takes hold in eastern regions.
It sure was a warm night across Aotearoa New Zealand, with Oamaru 20 degrees at 7am!
— MetService (@MetService) November 7, 2024
The warm trend rolls into Saturday.https://t.co/Yjbq0jgaoz pic.twitter.com/Xx9m9UGhSD
“Some spots in Hawke’s Bay may even crack 30C on Saturday for the first time since last summer,” Corrigan said.
“The last time Hastings recorded a temperature over 30 was the 24th of February at the end of last summer with 30.8C.”
Niwa meteorologist Chris Brandolino said parts of the country were looking at “pretty impressive” warmth.
Other areas in the North Island, such as Hamilton and Northland, will also see highs in the low-to-mid-20s.
Unseasonably warm temperatures will be felt across many regions from Thursday-Sunday, especially in the east of both islands. 🥵
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) November 6, 2024
These maps show where temperatures >25°C are forecast.
🌡️ In places such as Hawke's Bay and Canterbury, afternoon highs may be 4-7°C above average. pic.twitter.com/KD1Vprjpsv
He said with gusty northwest winds of up to 70km/h expected, Canterbury and Otago faced elevated fire risks as humidity dropped to about 40% in these areas.
A strong wind watch was in place for 12 hours from midnight for the Canterbury High Country.
Ashburton and Christchurch could see temperatures spike to 28C, with areas like Gore reaching 22C – several degrees above the November average highs.
“Temperatures will be around 8-10C higher than usual for this time of year.”
Corrigan said persistent heavy rain began overnight in the South Island, affecting the West Coast, Southern Alps and the deep south.
West Coast Emergency Management manager Claire Brown said the region was bracing for 400mm of heavy rain from lunchtime until noon tomorrow.
She said it had contacted co-ordinators and would meet today to “plan arrangements”.
“It is not unusual for these areas to receive these amounts of rainfall; however, as always, we need to be closely monitoring and ready to activate if need be, particularly for the Westland district.
“Members of the public are advised to keep up to date with weather information as rivers may rise quickly, surface flooding and slips are possible and driving conditions could be hazardous”
Orange heavy rain warnings were in place for Westland, northern Fiordland and the Main Divide of the Southern Alps south of Arthur’s Pass.
🌧 Heavy rain update for Friday
— MetService (@MetService) November 6, 2024
🟠 The Warning for Westland remains at Orange and the Watch for northern Fiordland has been upgraded to an Orange Warning. Even for the Westland ranges, 300-400mm is a considerable amount of rain to fall in 31 hours, and may cause streams and… pic.twitter.com/UULrnVDEeT
“Intense rainfall may cause streams and rivers to rapidly rise on both sides of the Main Divide as 300-400mm of rain is expected to fall about the Westland ranges and Canterbury headwaters within a little over a day,” Corrigan said.
“These are substantial numbers, even for the West Coast, so it’s certainly worth preparing in advance by moving stock and planning for potential travel restrictions.”
Heavy rain watches have been issued for southern Fiordland, Southland, eastern Clutha and the Grey district.
Corrigan said there was a “moderate chance” these would be upgraded to an orange warning.
He said the rain would ease while travelling up the country to the lower North Island on Sunday.
“Warning amounts” of rain for these regions were not expected.
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