New Year’s Eve weather: Hot, humid - and dry for most today, rain likely tomorrow

Dry out your towels and tents today - sunshine is expected but it won’t last.

After a sodden Friday for much of New Zealand, today is expected to be drier and very hot for some areas, before more rain is forecast for New Year’s Eve.

Many parts of the country will wake up to warm, humid conditions before a bright, dry Saturday, MetService meteorologist John Law said.

“The last of those clouds clear away pretty quickly from the north and there’s plenty of brightness and some sunshine returning for the North Island, as well as some better weather down that eastern side [of the country] as well.”

Hot temperatures could be expected in eastern areas of the North Island, while Northland and Auckland would get a dry, sunny afternoon.

Napier was forecast to be the hottest spot today, barely dipping to a muggy 23C overnight before a scorching Saturday high of 32C. Gisborne was forecast to hit 29C, with 28C in Northland and 26C in Auckland and Hamilton.

Southland and Otago could wake this morning to a few lingering thunderstorms but they would dry up today, while clear skies were expected for Christchurch, where the forecast high was 28C.

But the ridge would be short-lived, Law said. More wet weather would move onto the Far South by the end of Saturday, arriving in Nelson on Sunday morning and reaching the North Island in the afternoon.

The lower North Island is expected to be clear of the rain by the evening but leading but the rain will sit squarely over the upper North Island to ring in the New Year.

Heavy rain warnings lifting this morning

Sunday’s bout of wet weather will be the second after downpours drenched the upper North Island and the west of the South Island overnight. The last heavy rain watches and warnings are set to lift this morning as a slow-moving weather system clears away to the east of the North Island.

The last heavy rain watch lifts in the Bay of Plenty at 10am.

Taranaki Maunga and the Westland ranges were also under orange heavy rain warnings till early this morning.

With numerous other areas under heavy rain watches yesterday and overnight, hikers, campers and New Year’s Eve revellers were being warned to take care as thunderstorms, slips and flooding - including flooded rivers - were possible.

A full list of weather watches and warnings can be found on the MetService website.

Dry New Year’s Day for most of NZ

Depsite the spell of New Year’s Eve rain, partygoers and campers will be able to dry out in sun as the first dawn of the new year arrives.

Both MetService and private forecaster WeatherWatch expect the weather to clear for New Year’s Day.

WeatherWatch head forecaster Philip Duncan said a big block of high pressure coming in from the Tasman Sea and Southern Ocean would bring clearing, cooler weather on January 1, with the recent high humidity also taking a break.