Heat, humidity and heavy rain are heading to New Zealand this week as the country gets a taste of summer.
Low pressure to the west and high pressure to the east will suck warm, humid air down from the tropics and cause some sticky weather for Kiwis.
Heavy rain
WeatherWatch says modelling forecasts increased chances of some "soaking rains" this week in dry areas of New Zealand.
"From Wednesday to Friday this week a sub-tropical northerly connection from near Fiji will combine with a weakened low in the Tasman Sea - and it will create a vein of rain down to NZ," it says.
"WeatherWatch.co.nz and RuralWeather.co.nz estimate 25 to 50mm across the Auckland region over the coming week.
"This week Westport may well see some very heavy tropical downpours - some falls may be torrential in the mountains so watch for slips and flooding north of Greymouth and up to around the Nelson ranges."
Hot weather
MetService says it's expecting "significant warming" over much of the country in the coming days.
"Daytime temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday from Gisborne to Palmerston North are set to build to the mid-twenties," MetService meteorologist Andy Best says.
"Over the South Island, places such as Blenheim, Christchurch and Alexandra should feel the heat rise to around 27C on Wednesday and Thursday."
Warm, muggy nights
The combination of warm air and high moisture levels means the North Island faces "warm, muggy nights ahead", MetService says.
"This pressure pattern will find North Islanders experiencing high humidities and warm nights from tonight through until early Friday morning," Best adds.
