Hawke’s Bay’s weekend weather: Heatwaves and high temperatures for Ardern-Gayford wedding

Guests of Dame Jacinda Ardern and Clarke Gayford’s hotly anticipated wedding at an undisclosed Hawke’s Bay winery this weekend would be wise to pack sunblock, as temperatures continue to soar and a marine heatwave lines the coast.

The region is set for another stunner summer weekend, the latest in a chain of hot sunny days over January that have brought ideal conditions for outdoor summer weddings.

It’s likely Dame Jacinda and her party will be breathing a sigh of relief upon hearing of the Hawke’s Bay weekend forecast.

“There’s plenty of warm summery weather on the way,” MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said.

There might be a few flecks of cloud about but overall, a lot of sunshine and a lot of warm weather.”

Hawke's Bay is in the midst of a marine heatwave, with temperatures set to soar for the former Prime Minister's nuptials this weekend. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hastings and Napier will be in the 30Cs by the end of the weekend. Hastings will reach 30C on Saturday and 33C on Sunday.

“Thirty-three degrees on Sunday for Hastings is a hot one even for Hawke’s Bay. Typically, Hastings will get up to a high of 25C in January, so 33C is a full eight degrees about that,” Corrigan said.

A source says Dame Jacinda Ardern visited Hastings Distillers on Wednesday with about a dozen others, ahead of her Hawke's Bay wedding. Photo / NZME

The warm weather also comes with the emergence of a marine heatwave that “no forecasters expected”.

From January 9-12, the Hawke’s Bay was put into the “Extreme” category of the New Zealand marine heatwave forecast.

“It’s hot and humid, and the nights have been warm due to more northerly-quarter winds,” Niwa forecaster Ben Noll said.

“This has led to the development of marine heatwave conditions, which are expected to intensify this weekend. Also, because of climate change, our seas are warmer now than they were in the past.”

Although warmer seas might seem great for beachgoers, marine heatwaves have also been linked to a range of environmental impacts below and above water over the past decade.

“Our sea surface temperatures are cooking with gas at the moment, at anywhere between 1C and 2C above average around the North Island and the northern and eastern South Island,” Noll said.

Corrigan advised people to make sure they were sun smart and looked after each other during spells of high temperatures.

“Look after each other, stay sun smart, drink plenty of water, and look after those who are more sensitive to extreme heat,” he said.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.