Fine and sunny weekend ahead in Hawke's Bay before heavy rain early next week

L-R Jaymie Pascoe yr4, Ceirwyn Ware, teacher, Emma Duncan yr4 Greenmeadows School, Art Deco Junior Gatsby Picnic, Sound Shell, Napier. 15 February 2018. NEWS. Photograph Warren Buckland Hawke's Bay To

It's looking like a stunning weekend weather-wise in the Bay, so get your hats on, parasols out and get along to some Art Deco events.

Metservice Meteorologist Brian Mercer said it's going to be a very nice day across Hawke's Bay.

"It's forecast to get quite warm, we're expecting maximum temperatures of about 31 degrees in Napier and about the same in Hastings as well," Mercer said.

There will be a little bit of afternoon cloud and possibly a few showers about the ranges but majority of Hawke's Bay is going to be fine and sunny.

Sunday is forecast to be another fine day, but with a little bit of high cloud developing and moving down over the area which will take those temperatures down a little bit more to around 29 degrees.

Cyclone Gita looks like she will have one last puff over New Zealand next week and at the moment it seems Hawke's Bay will be affected.

Metservice meteorologist Clare Flynn said it's looking most likely the cyclone will cross over the North Island, with impact over much of the North Island and the top of the South Island - but there is no certainty of that track yet.

"However in the forecast at the moment, for Tuesday and Wednesday next week we have a forecast for rain with heavy falls possible and winds rising to gale force," she said.

It is looking like widespread heavy rain, strong winds and Hawke's Bay will most likely be included in that.

"It's certainly going to be a significant storm - being an ex-tropical cyclone by the time it gets here it will still have a bit of grunt to it."

Flynn said that warm air holds more moisture than cool air so systems from the tropics are a good recipe for getting a lot of heavy rain.

If you have been thinking it has been a lot wetter in Hawke's Bay than usual this year - you're not wrong.

More than double the amount of rain has fallen in the last six weeks in the region than the same period last year.

Rainfall over the last three years (January 1 to February 16)

Hastings
2016 - 57.8mm of rainfall
2017 - 40.8mm of rainfall
2018 - 81.4mm of rainfall

Napier
2016 - 95.6mm of rainfall
2017 - 48.2mm of rainfall
2018 - 108.8mm of rainfall