Updated 10:52pm — New Zealand’s sub-tropical air flow continues, with temperatures tonight not just several degrees above average but getting closer to 15 degrees above average.  As of 10pm it was still a stunning 25 degrees in Kaikoura – typically in May overnight lows are dipping down into single digits.

It’s not just the small centres – Christchurch has 21 degrees with a northerly breeze. Right across Canterbury the temperature is hovering around the low 20s as we head towards 10pm.

Wellington has 19 degrees along with a fairly brisk northerly.

Meanwhile, Auckland has 19 degrees.  Incredibly it comes with mostly clear, calm conditions in Auckland. Just down the road in Hamilton, it’s only 11 degrees with 100% humidity. in Auckland humidity levels are around 90%.  The higher humidity in the north means the air is damper and may feel colder to some people, especially if there’s a breeze.

Dunedin was mild earlier this evening, but a southerly has seen the temperature drop there.

Overall the airflow across New Zealand is tumbling down from the sub-tropics – caused by a large high pressure system centred to our northeast.  With the high being north of New Zealand it means the air flow surrounding it is ‘reaching’ much further north, closer to Fiji and New Caledonia.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says the sub-tropical airflow will continue until May 10th for many areas – after that winds turn westerly (which is more Autumn-like). It may still remain mild though.  For northern New Zealand, conditions may remain warmer than average for the first three weeks of May.

While it’s mild in many regions tonight – light winds and nights that are longer than days mean we’ll still have colder mornings, however WeatherWatch.co.nz says the warm spell around the country at the moment may prove to be record-challenging for a number of places, if not record breaking.

Below — The current temperature map at 9:25pm (data collected from hundreds of community weather stations across the country) shows that New Zealand is ‘glowing’. The orange areas are low to mid-20s, which is something we’d see during daytime in summer, rather than late evening in May / WUNDERGROUND

Below – CURRENT WIND MAP shows the big stream of sub-tropical air coming down over New Zealand at the moment / earth.nullschool.net

– WeatherWatch.co.nz