Bay may get Christmas weather gift

Lauren Makene puts sunscreen on her 2-year-old daughter Nevaeh Makene in Ahuriri during a warm Hawke's Bay weekend. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hawke's Bay may catch a lucky break and enjoy some Christmas sunshine while other New Zealand regions are threatened by rain, says a weather forecaster.

MetService duty forecaster Hannah Moes said Christmas Day in Hawke's Bay will be fine as a ridge settles to the east of the country. She said prior to the 25th the remains of a southerly trough will be "skirting up across the North Island" and will bring some cloud and showers to the ranges.

"Once that ridge from the Tasman [Sea] moves slowly across the country we will see some more settled conditions - mostly fine and the southerlies will die out."

However, the weather gods may not be so kind to Auckland and Wellington which are both forecast for cloud and showers on Christmas Day and cool highs of only 21C and 20C, she said.

She said the warm temperatures during the weekend, where parts of Hawke's Bay breached the 30C mark, would not last and cooler temperatures will return. A mild high of 23C is expected in Napier and Hastings on Christmas Day.

Hawke's Bay's hottest day this summer has been December 7, when the mercury soared to 32C just after midday in Hastings and hovered about 30C for the rest of the day.

The long range MetService forecast predicts rain and showers to end the month as the region celebrates New Year.