The ridge will move to the north of the North Island overnight, bringing further sunny temperatures for much of the North Island.
Eastern parts of the North Island will bear the brunt of the heat in the coming days, with Hastings, Napier and Havelock North all forecast to reach 31C tomorrow. Gisborne won’t be far behind, with a high of 29C expected.
“It’s going to be quite a hot couple of days for those regions,” said Bellam.
Temperatures for the rest of the North Island, excluding southern parts, are forecast to be “a little bit above average”, with the likes of Auckland reaching the mid to high 20s.
“Conditions are set to continue for much of the North Island, slightly above average maybe, but [we’re] not expecting any cool-off there,” he said.
Meanwhile, an active front moves north over the South Island tomorrow, bringing colder, windy conditions to the bottom half of the country.
Bellam said a northwesterly wind before the active front would bring severe weather for parts of the South Island on Monday.
An orange strong wind warning will come into effect for the Canterbury High Country, Otago, Fiordland south of George Sound, Southland, Stewart Island and Clutha overnight, and remain for much for the morning.
“The severe northwest gale in these areas could gust up to 130km/h in exposed places, but it will be a short and sharp spell of wind,” said Bellam.
MetService warns strong wind gusts could damage trees, power lines and unsecured structures. Driving may also be hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
A 12-hour heavy rain watch will also come into force for Fiordland at 11pm tonight, with periods of heavy rain that may approach warning criteria.
In the North Island, a strong wind watch for Wellington and the Wairarapa south of Masterton has been issued for 10am tomorrow and will remain in place for 15 hours. Northwest winds may approach severe gales in exposed places.
Wind to pick up for Christchurch
Bellam said gusty, dry northwesterly winds are set to strengthen for Christchurch tomorrow afternoon as fire crews continue battling a blaze in the Port Hills for a sixth day.
Police were actively investigating earlier today after a private drone flying near the Port Hills fire grounded fire crews’ helicopters for up to an hour.
At its height, more than 100 firefighters, 28 fire engines, 14 helicopters and two planes were battling the fire on Thursday. The fire spread over an area of about 700ha.
The cause of the fire has has yet to be identified, though all evacuees have been allowed to return home.
“Luckily with that front coming, we’ve got a cooler southerly change for Christchurch on Monday evening and then some showers later on for the city,” said Bellam.
Conditions ahead of the southerly should see high 20C-plus temperatures for the east of the South Island, then temperatures are likely to plunge from tomorrow afternoon.
“On Tuesday, Christchurch and Ashburton will only see a high of 18C and Invercargill only 14C, so about 4C below average and a bit of a cool change for them,” he said.
Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.
