The hottest spots in the country on Sunday will be Invercargill and the deep south, a MetService forecast says.
Invercargill is forecast to hot 31 degrees on Sunday. Photo: MetService
It isn't renowned for being the hottest spot in the country - but tomorrow could turn out to be one of the hottest on record for the Southland town. MetService said the hottest day on record for Invercargill was 32.2° in 1921.
Alexandra is also forecast to reach 31°, Gore gets to 30° and Queenstown 27°, the forecast said.
MetService said the warm overnight temperatures - almost 20° for the upper North Island centres - and high humidity make sleeping difficult.
A MetService 'sleeping map' said Sunday to Wednesday's forecast for the upper North Island will be warm and humid. By Thursday, there will be some respite but it remains warm.
The forecast said a deep low pressure system moves east over the Tasman on Monday, bringing wet weather to the country early in the week.
"During Tuesday and Wednesday, the low is expected to move east over New Zealand, bringing rain and strong north to northwesterly winds over much of the country. It is followed by a ridge on Thursday.
"There is high confidence of rainfall accumulations reaching warning criteria for Westland during Tuesday and Wednesday.
"In addition, there is low confidence of severe north to northwesterly gales in exposed places of the west coast of the South Island including Nelson and Marlborough and north Canterbury, and in the north and west of the North Island from Northland to Bay of Plenty to Wellington during Tuesday and Wednesday."