Balmy weather to continue in Northland for the rest of this week

Brothers Zachary, 6, left, and Malachy Smedley, took to the pool at Maunu School on the temperature hit 28C in Whangārei. Photo/Michael Cunningham

You can't beat the heat so join in as weather pundits are predicting temperatures in Northland to remain in the high 20s for the rest of this week.

Kerikeri was top of the pops, with the mercury hitting 30.7C on Sunday and 30.6C yesterday but the temperature is expected to drop slightly heading towards the weekend.

MetService is predicting little to no rain in Northland this week, saying farmers may have to rely on irrigation as low soil moisture has left the ground drier.

"It's going to be another hot week for Northland. There's a chance for showers on Thursday afternoon but they could be isolated so there's no guarantee of any substantial rain," MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said.

She said Kerikeri would remain one of the hottest places in the region with day temperatures staying at 28C, dropping to 27C on Saturday and down to 25C on Sunday with possible showers.

In Kaitaia, temperatures will mostly hover around 26C for most of the week while Whangārei is expected to clock between 25C and 28C.

Malachy Smedley, 7, beating the heat at the Maunu School pool after temperatures hit late 20s in Northland. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Dargaville is forecast to be a bit cooler, recording readings of around 22C to 23C and partly cloudy days.

Tourist hub Paihia in the Bay of Islands will have temperatures in the late 20s — perfect weather for visitors to explore Northland. Showers are forecast for most places in Northland early next week.

A heavy flow of southbound traffic is expected along State Highway 1 as hundreds of mostly Kiwi holidaymakers at campgrounds and other hotspots around Northland are expected to hit the road and head back home this weekend.

Looking ahead, the ridge of high pressure moving north over New Zealand would continue tomorrow as a front approaches the country from the southwest before moving north across the South Island on Thursday.

The National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) is also forecasting little to no rain in the North Island this week and any meaningful rainfall would be confined to the South Island's west coast.

It also spelled warm weather for the North Island and a cold snap in the South Island later in the week.

Niwa will this morning release the seasonal climate summary for 2018 as well as the quarterly climate outlook for the first quarter of this year.