Blue skies bring cold nights

It will be dry and sunny for most this weekend, due to high pressure over the country. Although daytime temperatures will be very pleasant, a few chilly nights are on the way as well.

In the lead-up to the weekend, the strong cold southwest flow over the country will slowly ease today and into Friday, as a ridge of high pressure over the Tasman Sea edges eastwards. Winds are now slowly abating after a windy spell about southern and eastern coasts. However, the Chatham Islands will bear the brunt of strong gales lasting to early Friday as a deep low near them moves away to the east. By the weekend, high pressure will dominate the New Zealand weather map bringing blue skies and lights winds for many, with the rough seas about the eastern coastal regions easing on Friday.

The clear skies will allow the sun to bring the temperatures into the high teens for most on Saturday and Sunday. "The warmest places are expected to be Hawke's Bay and Northland, where we are forecasting a relatively balmy 20C for this time of year," commented MetService meteorologist Emma Blades. "On the flipside, the starry nights do mean that all that daytime heat is going to escape back into space, causing temperatures to drop significantly once the sun goes down," Blades added. The coldest night time temperatures are predicted for the South Island with Christchurch likely to dip to just a couple of degrees, while further inland Twizel and Pukaki may reach zero. Spots in the North Island will also feel those cold nights, with Hamilton set to drop to 5C on both nights of the weekend.

Fortunately, the temperatures will pick up again next week, as a warmer flow heads our way from across the Tasman Sea. This moist air will bring some rain to western parts of the country towards the middle of next week.

Keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings atmetservice.com or on mobile devices at m.metservice.com. You can also follow our updates on MetService TV, at MetService New Zealand on Facebook, @metservice on Twitter and at blog.metservice.com

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