Monday should be mostly cloudy with a chance of a shower before dawn, MetService said. The weather was expected to really deteriorate on Wednesday, when heavy falls were forecast.
Elsewhere today, though, fine conditions were expected, with morning cloud for some centres.
Wellington should be fine today, with a high of 20C forecast. The temperature continues into tomorrow, with partly cloudy conditions expected and a chance of showers in the morning.
Temperatures in the capital were likely to jump to 24C on Tuesday, a partly cloudy day, before falling back to 21C from a mainly fine Wednesday.
Christchurch had a fine day forecast for today, apart from some morning and evening cloud and easterlies in the afternoon. The Garden City was tipped to reach 21C.
The temperature was expected to hold until rising to 22C on Wednesday and 25C on Thursday.
Looking further ahead, warm temperatures are on the way for the latter half of January, with subtropical air and rain expected to descend over New Zealand through to March.
Niwa said a low-pressure system over the Tasman Sea would “act like a gear to bring warm temperatures down from the tropics” late in the month.
It should coincide with the Wellington and Auckland Anniversary period this month and Nelson Anniversary Day and Waitangi Day next month, as well as the beginning of the new school year.
However, Niwa said there was an “enhanced potential for rain events linked to the tropics and subtropics” through March.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
Sign up to the Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
