Weather: Sunny and warm weekend before heavy rain and wind next week

Hot and sunny weather across the country this weekend will be short-lived, with a fresh bout of rain set to sweep up the South Island next week.

Auckland and Wānaka are forecast to be the hottest places on Saturday at 26C, while hot northwesterly winds in Canterbury will increase temperatures in the region on Sunday.

“Ashburton is predicted to get back up to 30C on Sunday”, MetService meteorologist Alec Holden said.

Auckland is forecast to be the hottest place in the country alongside Wānaka on Saturday. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

He told the Herald the weekend’s weather was “going to be really nice across the overwhelming majority of the country”, but Hawke’s Bay and the east coast of the South Island would be cloudy.

It would last only as long as the weekend, however, as a front bringing rain was expected to hit the South Island from the Tasman Sea on Monday before “chugging its way” up the country.

MetService says a period of heavy rain is likely in the west of the South Island, with the forecaster 30-60% confident that downpours could reach “warning levels” in the ranges of the Westland District, headwaters of the Otago and Canterbury lakes and rivers about and south of Lake Coleridge.

As the front moves north over central New Zealand on Tuesday, it is expected to bring a period of rain and strong northwest winds.

The North Island is forecast to get the bad weather late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday.

“We have some mild concern for the elevated areas, in Taranaki, the Kāpiti Coast, and then the eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty,” Holden said.

A high-pressure system is responsible for the weekend’s pleasant conditions, but as it moves away, the gales and rain are allowed in.

Earlier this week, scorching temperatures were felt across the country as Auckland hit 28C, Napier Airport 34C and Wairoa 32C.