Spring’s weather pattern is fading but it’s not gone with another big range of daily highs this week across New Zealand.  Yet again a nor’wester with sub-tropical elements is drifting down over the North Island – meaning those in the east are in for a scorching hot week.

In fact the Gisborne area is now showing to be drier than average and WeatherWatch.co.nz believes the 10 to 14 day trend for most eastern regions of New Zealand is to be drier than average not wetter. 

Over the next week Gisborne has highs in the late 20s with both this Wednesday and Saturday seeing the mercury reach into the late 20s.

A little further south and Hawke’s Bay may be even hotter, with Napier and Hastings both expected to reach 30 degrees on Wednesday and Saturday – with some inland areas perhaps going a couple degrees even higher.

The South Island doesn’t look so hot. Around the earthquake zone of Marlborough to North Canterbury highs this week will climb into the mid 20s, but by this weekend highs may drop into the late teens.

Christchurch should reach the mid 20s on Tuesday, only to tumble to a high of just 14 degrees on Wednesday.

The good news is that the colder change over Wednesday and Thursday will bring some rain into drought affected Canterbury.

At the southern end of the South Island those in Dunedin don’t quite have it so flash. While today should break the 20 degree mark both Wednesday and Thursday are only in the low to mid-teens.  The next several days afterwards see highs in the 17 to 19 degree mark for coastal Otago while central and western Otago may struggle to climb above the mid-teens this weekend and earlier next week.

– Wednesday Afternoon temperature map / Weathermap.co.nz

– WeatherWatch.co.nz