North really 'winterless' this year

UNUSUALLY WARM: Whangarei mother Monique Cross was among those who took advantage of the warmer than usual winter by taking to the Hatea Loop walkway. PHOTO/JOHN STONE

A weather expert is predicting the "unbelievably warm" spell currently being experienced in Northland will last until the first week of July.

Daytime temperatures so far this winter have been between 17C and 22C and even overnight temperatures have recorded double digits right across the region on most nights. Usually temperatures at this time of the year are in the low or mid teens.

This week, temperatures in Whangarei were 16.6C on Monday, 17.9C on Tuesday, 18.6C on Wednesday and 18.8C yesterday. While in Kerikeri the mercury showed 17.7C on Monday, 16.6C on Tuesday, 17.7C on Wednesday and 18.7 yesterday. At the top of the country in Kaitaia, on Monday the temperature was 18.3C, Tuesday 17.3C, 18C on Wednesday, and 18.4C yesterday.

Dargaville recorded similar numbers of 17.6C on Monday, 17.2C on Tuesday, 16.1C on Wednesday and 17.6C yesterday.

Whangarei's Monique Cross was out making the most of the warm weather and walking the Hatea Loop walkway yesterday afternoon with her two children. She said the warm weather was crazy. "It's June for goodness sake."

She said it was "lovely" to still be able to get out of the house and walk without rugging up the kids.

WeatherWatch head analyst Philip Duncan said the unusually warm winter was due to a high pressure system sitting to the east, rather than the west of New Zealand where it usually sat, pulling down sub-tropical air over the country.

"It's unbelievably warm. Temperatures around 17 in Northland is a little above average but 20 degrees is unusual. The coldest daytime temperature this week in Northland will be 16 on Sunday or it could even get to 17," Mr Duncan said.

"I still see an autumn weather pattern in July but there are chances of a cold southerly blast in the first week and it's unclear what will happen after that."