Your weather: Hot, sunny weekend forecast with temperatures over 30C

It is going to be a beautiful weekend in many places with temperatures jumping a few degrees and even cracking 30C in some hot spots.

MetService meteorologist Hannah Moes said the best places to be would be on the east coast, with Kaikōura and Gisborne set to hit 31C on Saturday and only slightly cooler Sunday. Auckland is not to miss out however with fine spells and 26C forecast tomorrow.

Most other east coast towns and cities, and spots across the North Island will be in the high 20s.

The flip side is that it will be windy, with gusty northwesterlies driving the warm conditions through the foehn effect as they cross the country's central alps.

A front arriving to the south on Saturday is expected to bring strong wind & heavy rain. A Heavy Rain Watch has been issued for Fiordland. Further Warnings and Watches are likely to be issued as the front moves closer. More info at https://t.co/qHyE5zhh6X ^Lisa https://t.co/dgA1whZYt9

— MetService (@MetService) January 16, 2019

Friday was also looking mostly fine across the country, Moes said.

Two weak fronts would bring some showers to the west coasts of both the South and North Islands. Auckland was in for a high of 25C today with mostly fine spells and a chance of a shower.

47˚C 😳

Waiau is NZ's forecast 'hot spot' for Thursday, but it has nothing on interior New South Wales, where temps are expected to exceed 45˚C. #heatwave 🌡️ pic.twitter.com/4CouNOzK5E

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) January 16, 2019

Tomorrow an active front, preceded by a strong northwesterly flow, would move over southern New Zealand from the Tasman Sea. The front would bring heavy rain to the west of the South Island, and gusty, hot northwesterlies to eastern areas.

The front would weaken Sunday as it moved over the remainder of the country, followed by a strong, disturbed west to southwest flow.

Today's weather

Whangārei

Partly cloudy. Southwesterlies. 27C high, 18C overnight.

Auckland

Partly cloudy, chance shower. Low cloud at night. Southwesterly. 25C high, 19C overnight.

Hamilton

Cloudy periods, chance shower. Southwest breezes. 26C high, 16C overnight.

Tauranga

Fine. Westerly breezes. 28C high, 18C overnight.

New Plymouth Cloudy periods, and chance shower. Westerlies. 23C high, 15C overnight.

Napier Fine apart from some morning cloud. Light winds and sea breezes. 26C high, 17C overnight.

Whanganui Fine apart from evening cloud. Westerly breezes. 25C high, 16C overnight.

Wellington Fine with high cloud. Light winds. 23C high, 17C overnight.

Nelson Fine, then evening cloud. Sea breezes. 25C high, 16C overnight.

Christchurch Cloudy, chance morning drizzle. Afternoon fine spells. Easterlies turning northerly in the evening. 23C high, 15C overnight.

Dunedin Chance morning drizzle, then fine spells. Cloud returning evening. Northeast breezes. 18C high, 15C overnight.