Our year of temperature records being beaten or challenged continues – with yet another burst of warmer than average sub-tropical air expected for next week says WeatherWatch.co.nz.

The weather news authority says a large high will drift east of New Zealand and turn into a ‘blocking high’.  “Basically a blocking high is one that acts like an invisible brick wall to our east, allowing sub-tropical northerlies to spread across New Zealand and heavy rain is then possible in northern and western facing areas” says head weather analyst Philip Duncan.

“Much like other extra warm spells lately the mild airflow is being caused by a single large high pressure system, situated in the right place to drag down sub-tropical northerlies in the anti-cyclonic spin”.

The warm record-challenging air will reach New Zealand around Wednesday to Friday next week.

A colder southerly flow will then return to New Zealand for the final weekend of June with yet another high rolling in behind that for the final days of June.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says highs later next week in some areas will reach the low 20s with overnight lows well above freezing.

*WeatherWatch.co.nz has been talking about this warm spell for a week now on CountryTV forecasts, Sky Channel 81.

Image / Friday June 24th temperature map for 12noon shows the clear pull of sub-tropical air over New Zealand from near Fiji / Weathermap

– WeatherWatch.co.nz