Weather: Cold mornings washed away as New Zealand to bask in warm temperatures

Cold mornings are on the way out in New Zealand as northwesterlies bring warm temperatures in the lead-up to the weekend.

MetService said autumn had already made its presence felt during the first four days of the month.

“Cold southerlies kept temperatures low earlier this week, but now, a change is on the way.

“The ridge that has dominated today’s weather will shift east on Thursday and Friday, allowing winds to turn northwesterly.

“As they do, temperatures are set to climb, especially across the eastern South Island.”

Meteorologist Silvia Martino told the Herald the nice weather across the country would continue today.

“For most places, it’s fairly sunny. There are bits of cloud about, but pretty nice for most people,” she said.

According to MetService, Auckland is forecast to reach 23C today while Hamilton will reach 24C.

Along the eastern side of the North Island, Tauranga will reach 23C, while Napier is forecast to reach 22C.

In the South Island, Blenheim will reach 26C today, and Christchurch is set to reach a high of 22C.

Further south, Dunedin will reach a high of 21C while Invercargill will hit 22C.

The sunny and warm conditions are forecast to continue across most of the country tomorrow.

Martino said several areas at the bottom of the South Island would experience some rain.

❓TEST YOUR METEOROLOGY❓

Chinook, Gending, Wambra, Muscat, Austru, Bohorok, Santa Ana… what meteorological phenomenon are these all examples of?

Hint: it’s what the east coast of the South Island will experience later this week.

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🌈 WHAT’S THE… pic.twitter.com/mBwP5ykL5Z

— MetService NZ (@MetService) March 4, 2026

“Parts of Southland, Fiordland, Westland, maybe Buller, but for everyone else, it’s a pretty fine day.

“It’s also a hot one for the South Island’s east coast.”

Blenheim is forecast to reach a high of 28C while Christchurch will hit 26C.

Warm temperatures are also forecast for much of the North Island tomorrow.

“It’s pretty much bang on average for most places for this time of year, so that’s low 20s,” Martino said.

“Sunny, not too hot but not too cold.”

In the North Island, both Auckland and Hamilton are forecast to reach a high of 23C, while Tauranga will hit 24C.

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