Summer-like temperatures returned to a number of places over the weekend and this week isn’t looking too different. Dunedin climbed to near 30 degrees on a Saturday, with Waikato reaching similar temperatures yesterday. Bay of Plenty and Rotorua also made it into the mid to late 20’s while Aucklanders and many across Manawatu, Taranaki and Marlborough felt the afternoon heat as it touched on the mid-20’s.

It’s these regions that will see more summer like highs this week under mainly clear blue skies. “Overnight lows will be cooler” says head weather analyst Philip Duncan. “With well over 2 hours less sunlight each day the nights are now cooling down and those in Waikato will notice it the most”. He’s pointing to the fact that temperatures reached 30 in Hamilton yesterday but dropped to just 8 or 9 this morning.

So what’s the forecast for Easter weekend??

This year Easter is looking mainly settled and “pretty good at this stage”, especially in regions that face North or North West, according to Philip Duncan. “Daytime highs will only range from the late teens in the South to the lower to mid 20’s in north – nothing too dramatic”.

Duncan says plenty of high pressure over the Tasman Sea means any rain bands will to have to come in from the far South. “Queenstown may see some wind and cooler sou’westers but nothing significant at this stage – there could also be showers developing around Southland and coastal Otago”.

East Coast regions from Dunedin to Napier may be a little cooler thanks to an easterly breeze, with a weak front on Saturday delivering a few small showers to some in central and southern areas.

The places to be?

“I’d have to say Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo, Taranaki, Kapiti, Waikato, Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula – they’ll have the most sun, the best temperatures and should have the least wind”.

We’ll have a full Easter forecast on Wednesday.