Record breaking autumnal warmth has staved off the duvet for another night, but don’t expect that to last. MetService is forecasting a cool change to spread through Aotearoa New Zealand today (Thursday) and tomorrow as we lead into a mostly fine long weekend.

The last 24 hours were warm. Auckland recorded its warmest April day on record, reaching 26.5°C. Overnight Twizel, up in the Canterbury High Country, was our coldest place and only managed to fall to 7°C. Christchurch which normally sees 6.6°C in the early hours this time of year only fell as low as 18.2°C!

However, a series of cold fronts bring a southerly change up Te Waipounamu South Island today, and Te Ika-a-Māui North Island tomorrow.

MetService Meteorologist Tui McInnes says, “Expect things to be colder tonight; 3°C in Twizel and 10°C in Christchurch and becoming even cooler this weekend both at night and during the day.”

Temperatures aren’t the only talk of the next two days. As these fronts move north, they bring periods of rain, with Heavy Rain Warnings and Watches in place along the Southern Alps. As the weather reaches northern regions on Friday, a convergence with a subtropical system could spell the risk of heavier rainfall for Northland through Auckland to Waikato.

“While there is still quite a lot of uncertainty in the models, there are indications of brief but significant periods of rain on Friday,” McInnes explains.

All this weather leads into a generally fine long weekend for the country, carrying through Anzac Day. “Showers do pop up here or there, but for the most part Kiwis will get to see some more sun, albeit wearing a few more layers than yesterday!” McInnes says.

High pressure looks likely to remain in charge and all signs are that the settled weather will continue into the second week of the school holidays for many people.

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