November kicks off with humdinger days but wet weather is set to hit

Thursday, 7 November 2019

Here's the latest MetService national forecast video.

November has kicked-off with some cracking hot weather, but rain is set to cool things down a bit.

In the past week, temperatures across the country have soared into the early 30s, with Kawerau in the Bay of Plenty reaching a scorching 34.6C on Sunday.

Make the most of the hot weather, as it won't be here next week.

Many towns in the South Island had stunning 30+ degree days on Saturday, while this week, the North Island's east coast has had some higher than average humdinger-days, with Napier, Hastings and Gisborne all reaching at least 31C on Tuesday.

But MetService meteorologist Stephen Glassey says rain is on the way thanks to a couple of different fronts moving across the country.

Evaporating trails of rain and hail fall from the base of the cumulonimbus cloud which brought thunderstorms to parts of Canterbury recently.

* Bay of Plenty's Kawerau reaches high of 34.6C as much of NZ has a scorching Sunday

* South Canterbury sizzles as temperatures near record-breaking highs

* It's a BBQ kinda day: Sunshine, warm temperatures expected all across NZ**

On Friday, those in Auckland can expect a cloudy but warm day, with a high of 22C and some possible showers in the evening.

Wellingtonians can expect a cloudy day with drizzle on Friday, with a high of 18C.

Those in Canterbury are going to have some great few days in the sun, with a high of 26C predicted for Friday, and 27C for Saturday. But a southwest change on Sunday will see rain arrive and temperatures lower on Sunday, similar to most other centres.

In Dunedin, there will be fine spells on Friday with a high of 21C on the cards.

A heavy rain warning is in place from Thursday through to Friday evening for parts of Westland, including the ranges and north of Fox Glacier. Thunderstorms are also possible for the area.

MetService has a number of rain watches in place for the Buller ranges and Headwaters of the Canterbury Lakes from Thursday evening. A watch is also in place for Fiordland from Friday evening through to Sunday morning.

A strong wind watch is in place for the Canterbury High Country from early Friday morning.

For the rest of the country, Glassey says the majority of the wet weather will arrive with the weekend.

On Saturday, the rain will mostly hit the northern and western parts of both islands, with heavy falls still predicted for the West Coast.

'Places in the east like Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Canterbury and eastern Otago should be dry and warm until Sunday.

'This is good news for people going to the cricket match between the Black Caps and England in Napier on Friday.'

For those attending the U2 concerts in Auckland, Friday night is likely to be dry with only a small chance of a shower, he says. However, it won't be a beautiful day for Saturday's concert with showers and strengthening northeast winds, so it's a good idea to take a rain coat, Glassey says.

But on Sunday, a front crosses New Zealand allowing the rain to spread into eastern areas as well, including the main centres.

Some heavy falls are likely over the upper half of the North Island on Sunday as well as northern and western parts of the South Island.

The ever-changing weather at this time of year is typical of springtime, Glassey says.