A NIWA forecaster says the weather is going to get worse before Aotearoa sees any sign of a Kiwi summer.
NIWA forecaster Chris Brandolino told AM for Kiwis, especially in the south, "it's going to be chilly" over the next 10 days.
"You're gonna wanna watch out for frost this weekend."
Brandolino said over the next 10 to 12 days, much of motu should see a transition to "more typical" weather expected for this time of year.
"The themes for this summer."
Brandolino outlined what weather themes Kiwis could expect over the summer, but added the warmer months are too far away to forecast.
"We're giving you the theme for the dress party, how people come dressed, you kind of have to wait until we get closer to the event."
The NIWA forecaster said for those in the east of the North and South Island it is likely to be wetter than normal.
"We're thinking normal or above normal rainfall," which "may keep temperatures down during the daytime."
But he added there are still "equal chances" for temperatures to be where they should be if not warmer in those areas.
"If there's something we're going to watch out for [it's] dryness and drought [for] places like the west of the South Island, so Otago, Southland, West Coast, Milford Sound, Fiordland," he said.
"Those areas have an elevated chance for dryness, we think below-normal rainfall is likely there."
But for the regions that usually see some scorching hot summer days like Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, Brandolino says "there's going to be a reduction in those".
"They may happen, but it won't be that classic Kiwi summer where the east of both islands gets those really frequent or regular really hot days."
He added the evidence points towards temperatures being average or above average down the east of the motu.
Brandolino said "we feel more comfortable" about above-average temperatures for the rest of the motu.
He did warn for the upper North Island, especially along the east big rainfall events and ex-tropical cyclones could lash those regions.
Watch the full interview above.
