It's set to be a hot start to the week with a "warm surge" on the way, but temperatures are forecast to dip after that, with a wintry change on the way.
Farmers hoping for rain to wet the paddocks will be disappointed, however, with no rain in sight for the regions needing it most.
WeatherWatch forecast Philip Duncan says temperatures for the first three days of the week could hit the mid-thirties.
"It will be hot and dry," Duncan told Newshub on Monday.
"We're expecting highs into the thirties and there might be a couple of isolated places that make it more towards the mid to late-thirties."
Inland parts of the country - particularly those on the east side of both islands - were expected to feel the brunt of the heat, with Canterbury, Marlborough, Hawke's Bay and Gisborne looking "especially hot in the days ahead", Duncan said.
The heat comes from both a pulse of hot air out of Australia and sub-tropical northerlies on a departing high pressure system, Duncan said, adding that the heat will come in as a windy nor'wester which will lead to a "triple whammy" pushing temperatures up during the day.
With many farmers around the country concerned more drought could be on the way in the coming months, Duncan said the forecast would bring no joy for those whose paddocks may be starting to dry up.
"We're already sort of seeing that in the north, where the rain has failed so far this summer to really make up for the rainfall deficit we've been in for two years," he said.
"So this is not great for those who need rain."
He said there was a potential rainmaker next week, but it still "isn't locked in" yet.
"I think we're looking at a drier-than-average pattern at least for the next week across most of the country."
The hot and dry burst of weather was set to be followed by a "wintry change", coming up from the Southern Ocean late on Wednesday and on Thursday.
The cool blast will see daytime highs in some parts of the country falling to 15C or 20C, while places like Southland and Otago will "struggle to even reach the teens".
Thankfully, the cold front won't linger though and "will move on within a day or so".
"By the weekend, we should be a lot more positive," Duncan said.
