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A strong wind warning has been issued for Hawke’s Bay, with potentially damaging northwesterly gales set to turn the region into an October furnace.

MetService has issued an orange strong wind warning for Hawke’s Bay for 10 hours from 10am to 8pm tomorrow.

Severe gale northwesterlies gusting to 120km/h in exposed places are forecast, including the Takapau Plains, with damage to trees, powerlines and unsecured structures possible.

Driving may be difficult during the warning, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.

When it issued the orange strong wind warning this morning, MetService said there was a minimal chance the warning would be upgraded.

MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said the severe gales were caused by an active front working its way up from the South Island, where it had caused many wind and rain watches and warnings.

At the tail end of the wind, some hot October temperatures for the region are coming, including 30C in Hastings and 28C in Napier on Thursday.

The average temperature in Hastings for October is 19.5C and 19C for Napier.

“That’s going to be stinking hot,” Pawley said.

“On Thursday, we are expecting another active front to move across, dropping a whole lot of rain and making some strong winds for much of the country, and what we see for eastern parts when that happens is those temperatures really ramp up.”

Although Thursday looks to be the peak of the heat, the rest of the week will remain warm with highs of 28C and 26C expected tomorrow and on Wednesday in Hastings, while Napier enjoys highs of 27C and 25C.

Temperatures will take a bit of a dip around the region as Hawke’s Bay anniversary weekend arrives, with highs of 22C and 23C predicted for Hastings from Friday, while Napier is expected to be sitting on between 21C and 23C.