31C get set to sizzle on big day

Fill up the paddling pool, get the fan out - Christmas Day is going to be hot and sticky.

A hot and humid day, with temperatures topping 30C, is forecast for Wairarapa tomorrow.

Met Service forecaster Peter Knudsen said morning drizzle was expected to clear early and the day should be mostly fine, apart from a few showers about the Tararua Ranges in the afternoon.

He said a high of 31C was expected, along with humid northeasterly winds throughout the day.

"It will be cloudy at first but the drizzle should slowly clear by early to mid-morning and it will be mainly fine, and quite warm and humid."

Holidaymakers heading north may face remnants of Cyclone Evan as it passes through the upper North Island, causing rivers to rise and making surface flooding possible.

Met Service yesterday issued a severe weather warning for the northern parts of the North Island.

A deep low was expected to be lying just west of Cape Reinga by tonight and would drift west of the North Island tomorrow.

The heaviest rain will pound Northland, Auckland north of Whangaparaoa, and the Coromandel Peninsula.