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Fifteen new heat alerts have been issued for towns and cities across the country – including several holiday hot spots - as already roasting temperatures turn furnace-like.

The hottest weather of the multi-day heat-streak affecting much of the country is expected tomorrow, with Hastings forecast to fry on 38C and neighbouring Napier not much lower at 36C.

The hot conditions affecting mostly northern and eastern New Zealand have already sparked heat alerts yesterday and today. Combined with severe gale northwesterlies forecast for the lower North Island and much of the South Island tomorrow, the conditions have raised wildfire risks to extreme.

At noon, MetService issued fresh heat alerts for 15 centres expecting high temperatures tomorrow.

They are: Paihia, Russell, Whangārei, Whitianga, Tauranga, Whakatāne, Rotorua, Taupō, Gisborne, Napier, Hastings in the North Island, and Motueka, Blenheim, Christchurch and Timaru in the South Island.

Heat alerts are issued a day out from hot weather, and are based on each centre’s usual summer highs and/or how many days of hot weather are forecast.

Heat alerts have been issued for 15 towns and cities ahead of tomorrow's scorcher. Photo / Dean Purcell

Those in areas under alert should check in on their most vulnerable, including babies and the elderly, and ensure pets are “well cared for” with water and shade, MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said.

“Heat alerts are more than just a typical hot summer’s day ... people can see some health effects from this sort of thing.”

And some places would still be warm, despite not being under a heat alert – including Auckland, where tomorrow’s 29C forecast is just 1C shy of its heat alert trigger, Pawley said.

“There’s lots of places 1C off their [heat alert] threshold.”

Severe gales spark ‘extreme fire risk’

Meanwhile, severe gales gusting up to 130km/h are expected across a large part of the South Island and the lower North Island, posing an extreme fire risk when combined with scorching temperatures.

MetService has issued a warning for severe gale northwesterlies gusting to 120km/h from early tomorrow morning and through the day for Marlborough, Wellington, Wairarapa and Tararua District.

The high country and foothills of Canterbury are also under a warning for severe gale northwesterlies gusting 130km/h from 10pm tonight until 5pm tomorrow.

Strong wind watches are also in place for eastern Canterbury and the lower South Island.

Both Marlborough and Canterbury are among northern and eastern parts of New Zealand where temperatures are soaring into the 30s this weekend, with Hawke’s Bay’s Hastings and Napier among many centres already under heat alerts today.

However, while highs would top out at 21C in wind-walloped Wellington, temperatures in the more northern towns of Masterton and Dannevirke were expected to reach the mid-to-late-20s.

Northland, Tairāwhiti, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Marlborough, Canterbury, Mid-South Canterbury and Otago faced “spiking” fire danger today and, especially, tomorrow, Fire and Emergency New Zealand deputy chief executive of prevention Nick Pyatt said this morning.

“Extreme caution [is] needed.”

There is an extreme risk of fire in northern and eastern parts of the country this weekend, Fire and Emergency says. 

In contrast, an orange heavy rain warning has been issued for the headwaters of the Canterbury lakes and rivers about and south of Arthur’s Pass, and for Fiordland and parts of Westland from tonight, MetService said on its website.

“There’s an elevated risk of thunderstorms, especially in the west of the South Island tomorrow.”

Those in affected areas should clear their drains and gutters and prepare for any disruption to infrastructure, MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said.

“We can expect that there might be some damage to trees and power lines ... [and] with winds picking up, wildfires can get out of hand quite quickly.”

Further north, there are heavy rain watches across the Grey and Buller districts in the upper South Island tomorrow afternoon and evening.

Hawke's Bay is expected to be hottest this weekend, with 38C forecast in Hastings tomorrow and 36C in Napier. File photo / Warren Buckland 

However, it’s the furnace-like forecasts that have been capturing attention.

The Aussie heatwave-sparked hot spell already pushed highs above 30C in Napier, Gisborne, Christchurch and Blenheim yesterday, with Hastings recording the top temperature of 32.5C.

As of 12.30pm, Gisborne – forecast to reach 32C – was the hottest place in the country at 31.5C, according to MetService.

Hastings – forecast to hit 34C today – was half a degree off the forecast heat track in recording 30C at 10.30am, but had since dipped to 27.1C.

Napier, expecting 33C, was on a relatively cooler 26.2C at 12.30pm, while Whakatāne, expecting 31C today, was at 25.5C.

In Christchurch and Blenheim, both low 30s-bound, it is 28.7C and 27C respectively.

Forecast temperatures have been rising all week, with MetService saying some areas – including in Northland, Coromandel and Hawke’s Bay – could break January records tomorrow.

Most at risk of breaking high temperature records are Whangārei, Kerikeri, Whitianga and Napier, the latter’s January record of 36.9C in 1979 being only 0.9C above the forecast 36C, MetService said.

Records are not available for Hastings, but tomorrow’s forecast high is 12.7C above the city’s January average, MetService said.

And while a record-breaker is not expected, Auckland is among those to see its forecast Sunday high rise, with its 29C forecast tomorrow up from an earlier expectation of 28C. A high of 26C is forecast in the country’s largest city today, and it had reached 23.9C at 12.30pm.

Aucklanders can expect a high of 29C tomorrow, MetService says. Photo / Michael Craig

However, while the heat is great for water-lovers, the increased fire danger was a concern.

High temperatures, strong westerly winds and very low humidity pose a real fire risk, said Pyatt, the Fire and Emergency boss.

He urged people not to light fires or do spark- or heat-generating activities near vegetation. Fires lit in the past two months should also be checked by raking through ashes and dousing in water if unsure.

“Under these extreme conditions, one spark can start a fire that will spread rapidly, be extremely difficult to control, and potentially cause significant damage.”

The fire risk was likely to remain very high over the coming weeks in southern Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa, with continuing strong northwesterly winds and little to no rain forecast, he said.

More than a dozen heat warnings have been issued across the country for the weekend. Photo / Alex Burton 

Beachgoers have also been warned to stick to patrolled beaches and swim between the flags, with the more dangerous low tide coinciding with the afternoon heat-peak on Auckland’s West Coast beaches, and water temperatures around 21C-22C in the upper North Island.

“Our five key safety messages that everyone needs to learn is know how to float, find the safest place to swim – and if in doubt, stay out – take care of yourself and others, and know how to get help,” Surf Life Saving New Zealand general manager Chris Emmett said.

If caught in a rip, relax, float and conserve energy, raise your hand and signal for help, and then ride the rip until it stops or you can swim parallel to the shore to escape, Emmett said.

The rising temperatures are because of a “big, warm, moist air mass” that is set to pass over the country after causing a heatwave and sparking large bushfires in Australia, meteorologist Pawley said.

There, temperatures in some areas rose to 45C.

“This hot air mass has been over Australia for a little while ... we won’t see those same extreme temperatures but we’ll be seeing things that are still pretty hot for New Zealand.”

Hot start for 2026 

For the first few months of this year, above-average temperatures are expected, particularly in the north and west of the North Island.

The Earth Sciences New Zealand seasonal climate outlook for January to March also indicated above-average rainfall for the north and east of the North Island, and below-average rainfall for the west of the South Island.

Fedaeff said a weak La Nina weather pattern would be at play over New Zealand to start the year.

“That means we get more northerly and northeasterly winds, so more weather from the tropics, which is a warm place.”

Factors typically contributing to hotter years included warm seas.

MetService says New Zealand's high temperatures are being caused by remnants of the Australian heatwave earlier this week. Photo / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images 

“Marine heatwave conditions, which are in play now, they don’t turn off as quickly as air temperatures do.”

Earth Sciences’ latest annual climate report showed 2025 was New Zealand’s fourth-hottest year on record, with four of its five warmest years occurring since 2021.

“We already have this massive boost from climate change,” Fedaeff said. “That means that we’re starting off on a warmer note just because we’ve loaded that dice already.”

The climate report found most regions were hotter than average by between 0.51C and 1.2C, but parts of Northland and Bay of Plenty were significantly hotter, by more than 1.2C.