‘Unusually warm’ days in forecast

It’s time to pump up the paddling pool – hot days are ahead.

But the summer weather won’t be great for everyone – some areas will have dry weather and others will have higher than normal rainfall.

Niwa has not yet released its outlook for the entire summer, but principal scientist Chris Brandolino said between now and about December 10 the country would be dominated by ‘‘unusually warm’’ weather.

‘‘It doesn’t mean every day is going to be a scorcher, but I think the flavour of them is going to be temperatures that are warmer than usual for this time of year.’’

In the Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Marlborough and inland Otago, would likely get the hottest days, he said.

A drier than usual November meant by the time temperatures soared, some areas would suffer more than others.

‘‘For the next couple of weeks from now to early December, definitely it’s going to be quite dry, especially for the North Island and the upper South Island.

‘‘That will become a concern as these warmer temperatures grow, particularly for our farmer friends.’’

Highs will climb to more than 10 degrees higher than normal for some regions, according to Weather

Watch, who said 85 per cent of the country will end the month with hotter-than-normal weather.

Brandolino said Canterbury, Northern Otago, Marlborough and the entire North Island were likely to be ‘‘unusually dry’’ over the next 10-14 days.

The Wairarapa, Marlborough and parts of Kaiko¯ ura were already experiencing unusually dry conditions.

‘‘The fact that we have more dry and now warm weather coming in over the next 10-14 days, that’s going to accentuate that dryness.’’

The conditions were boosted by warm air coming from Australia, with climate change also partially to blame, he said.

‘‘Our earth is warmer compared to what it was 30 years ago, 40 years ago, and 50 years ago ... climate change is just enhancing something that would happen normally.’’

For those looking for some relief, Brandolino said a cooler spell for the South Island could be expected around December 5 or 6.

However, some areas are likely to miss out on the fine days ahead.

‘‘The West Coast of the South Island, and places like Hokitika, Haast and Fiordland, those areas will not be having unusually warm or dry weather,’’ Brandolino said.

‘‘Those will be an exception to the rest of New Zealand ... even for them, the rainfall that is likely to be experienced over the next week or week-and-a-half is going to be more than they’d usually get.’’