“At that time of the day ... that’s actually sometimes when we see our coldest temperatures because it’s been able to cool overnight and the sun hasn’t come back to warm it up,” Burrows said.
Whanganui’s dawn temperature is expected to be 5C.
“It’s going to be a nice start to the day tomorrow morning.
“Lots of blue skies for Saturday.”
A high pressure system spread across the Tasman Sea would bring settled conditions throughout the region, she said.
Daytime highs of 20C are from Saturday to Monday.
Overnight lows of 4C on Saturday, 7C on Sunday and 11C on Monday are forecast.
Scattered clouds are expected in the morning and evening on Sunday and Monday.
Winds will be light throughout the weekend.
Westerlies may pick up slightly from Sunday into Monday with “a gentle to moderate breeze”.
Sunny weather in the Whanganui area will be a reprieve after two weeks of severe storms and heavy rain that caused slips and flooding across the North Island.
People planning to visit water bodies in the region this weekend should still take care, as stormwater has created contaminated runoff and debris.
Castlecliff Beach and Kai Iwi Beach are unsuitable for swimming, according to the Land Air Water Aotearoa (Lawa) website on Friday morning.
Unhealthy levels of enterococci bacteria were found in the most recent water samples, indicating the presence of faecal matter.
People planning to enjoy the sunny weather at the beach or other swim spots should check the Lawa website before entering the water.
Erin Smith is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.
