School holiday weather: Sunny skies forecast across NZ, cold temperatures for first week

The first week of the school holidays will be bright and sunny across the country but the bluebird days ahead will come with chilly mornings.

Wind should be low and conditions should be settled, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said.

It follows a weekend forecast of a few brief showers and a Friday morning that set records for the coldest of the year so far.

MetService said Auckland temperatures dropped to 3.2C this morning. New Plymouth fell to 0.7C, Wellington to 2.1C, Wānaka to -3.3C and Queenstown to -4.2C.

Yesterday was even cooler at Mt Cook Airport, where MetService recorded a -7.1C low, its coldest temperature of the year thus far.

“We’ve got more of those cold temperatures to come as we head towards the weekend,” MetService meteorologist John Law said.

Saturday in Auckland will begin with partly cloudy skies and isolated showers, but these should clear by late afternoon. Fresh southwesterly winds should ease by the evening.

Sunday should see increasing cloud cover and the chance of a shower, with a high of 15C. Monday would be mostly fine but would turn cloudy in the evening, with a high of 16C, MetService said.

💪 A very strong high pressure system near & south of Australia is headed for New Zealand next week...

Air pressure will likely eclipse 1040 hectopascals, a benchmark for a particularly hefty high.

It will come with a lack of wind, chilly mornings & plentiful sunshine 😎 pic.twitter.com/FI7PE1rqIt

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) July 4, 2024

From Tuesday through Thursday, MetService is forecasting fine skies for the City of Sails.

Sun should come a little earlier to Wellington, with clear skies forecast from Sunday to Tuesday and highs of up to 13C. Saturday would be partly cloudy with isolated showers throughout the day.

Christchurch’s lows are forecast to dip to zero and below over the whole week. MetService said Saturday should fall to -2C and Sunday to -1C. Both days would be partly cloudy, with showers expected on Saturday.

Fine conditions are tipped for Monday and Tuesday, with lows of -2C and 0C and highs of 13C and 11C. Clouds may set in on Wednesday, clearing again on Thursday.

🥶 If you found yourself pulling on extra layers this morning, it's no wonder! It was the coldest morning of the year so far for several spots around the country

🌡️ Things will gradually warm up, but it's still looking like a chilly winter's day

Stay warm, Aotearoa NZ☕️ pic.twitter.com/F8Vurbb2b2

— MetService (@MetService) July 4, 2024

Dunedin should not get as cold as the Garden City but would be beset by cloud and gale-force winds from Saturday to Monday, bucking the trend around the country.

The coolest temperatures are forecast to set in from Monday evening, bringing night-time lows of 4C. Skies are expected to become clear from Tuesday.

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said the settled weather was brought about by a ridge of high pressure.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.