Yet another day of northerly winds is lifting temperatures to Summer levels the length of the country.  Across northern New Zealand high humidity is making conditions feel warmer than they are.  In the past hour parts of Auckland reached over 90% humidity with a temperature of 20 degrees – making it 26 degrees on the humidex which measures how warm the air feels on your skin.

It’s 22 across the Waikato also with high humidity but drier, warmer, northerlies over Hawkes Bay has brought 25 degree heat in to Napier and Hastings and 26 degrees to Wairarapa.

A gusty northerly in Canterbury is also helping lift temperatures with 24 degrees in Christchurch and Timaru and 23 in Dunedin.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says conditions definitely feel more like mid January than 5 weeks from winter.

But he says we have to take the good with the bad.  “You know there’s a catch when it’s this warm at the end of April – and there is – a cold snap is expected to roll in from Wednesday to Friday bringing a southerly change right up the country”.

Mr Duncan says highs will drop to just single digits in coastal Southland and Otago with highs of only 12 or 13 as far north as Napier by the end of the week.

Meanwhile heavy rain is causing problems in Wellington according to Weather Watch reporter Dave Smart.  Mr Smart says there’s minor surface flooding all around the city with foggy conditions in many of the hilly suburbs as low cloud sets in. 

The Radio Network’s Time Saver Traffic says there’s some flooding northbound on State Highway one at Tawa.