New Zealand poised to bask in balmy temperatures next week as spring makes early entrance

Newborn lambs at Mt Albert Grammar School farm as temperatures are set to start to feel more like spring in coming days. Photo / Supplied.

It's been a long time coming but New Zealand may get to bask in warm spring-like temperatures in a few day's time.

Weather boffins are pointing to a shift in the atmosphere next week that is going to see temperatures across the country start to heat up.

Instead of coming straight off the South Pole, much of the air over New Zealand in coming days will be warmed from the sub-tropics and Australia.

Temperatures will start edging up at the weekend, hitting 18C in Kaitaia at the top of the country on Monday and Tuesday and an equally balmy 17C in Christchurch at the start of next week. Auckland also enjoys 17C highs on Monday and Tuesday. Even Dunedin gets to 16C on Sunday.

Weatherwatch.co.nz says most of the country will start to notice the welcome change from Saturday, after a particularly nippy Friday.

"We're not saying winter is over but we are saying there are signs of an earlier start to spring conditions," said WeatherWatch head forecaster Philip Duncan.

The country's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research tweeted the spring pattern would be felt across the country next week as a nor'west foehn wind ushers in warm temperatures.

A climate regime New Zealand hasn't seen in a while -the nor'west foehn wind- is 4cast to set in early next week & bring spring-like temps. pic.twitter.com/qHewT5Jbfb

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) August 2, 2017

The strong warm winds are expected to belt much of southern and central New Zealand on Monday.

But despite the mercury moving closer to 20C, Duncan said this did not mean winter was over with the chance of more snow falling again in another southern blast forecast to hit midweek.