Warmer weather is coming. While Tuesday is still a little cool for a handful of regions most places are now slowly warming up and by the end of the week many regions will be warmer than average. The extra warmth, following the colder southerlies, is due to a west to nor’west flow which will become blustery in exposed places and push temperatures up in the east as the week goes on.

Inland parts of the South Island have been enjoying (and are again today) temperatures a few to several degrees above normal for the first half of September. By Wednesday the westerlies will push some inland eastern areas up in to the low 20s and over the coming days and into the weekend this trend should continue. By Thursday and Friday and into this weekend Hawke’s Bay may be in the low 20s, maybe climber towards the mid-20s should the nor’westers arrive with afternoon sun. Overnight lows are also going up – but tonight and tomorrow night may still be cold in both islands.

Despite some heavy rain on the West Coast, it will mainly be in the lower half into Fiordland while most other regions have a drier than average several days ahead, especially the east of both islands. Patchy rain and showers in Northland is clearing this afternoon.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz