MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon said the forecast for Mosgiel was for 29°C, and Dunedin and Oamaru were expected to reach 28°C this afternoon.
"We’ve got a front moving on to the West Coast, so we’re going to get some quite strong northwesterly winds across eastern areas of the country - those classic foehn winds, which bring hot temperatures."
Similar temperatures were expected again tomorrow.
The November temperature record at Dunedin Airport is 31.1°C, which was set on November 23, 2009, and the Dunedin city record was set at the Musselburgh weather station, when the mercury reached 31.3°C on November 3, 1987.
While the forecasted temperatures were a couple of degrees off the record, it was possible they could still be broken today, she said.
"I think there’s a possibility that the airport may get hotter than the forecasted temperature, because it’s a bit further away from the ocean.
"So it could be closer to the record in Mosgiel than in the actual city.
"While it’s not hitting records yet, it’s certainly going to be a hot day - probably the hottest that we’ve had so far since the winter.
"It’s only been up to 26°C so far this month in Dunedin city."
Fenz community risk manager James Knapp, of Dunedin, said that given the forecasted high temperatures and strong winds, the fire danger would be high.
"Topography varies obviously, and some spots are going to be higher than others.
"But we’re expecting the fire danger to get high over the next couple of days in several places in Otago."
He said the best advice was "the simplest advice".
"If it’s hot, dry and windy, don’t light a fire - don’t do anything that could generate a fire.
"At this time of year, even grass could ignite. I’m not saying don’t mow your lawns, but we would say it’s best to do it in the morning before it gets too hot and dry.
"And be wary that it is possible to start a fire by mowing your lawns at this time of the year. It does happen.
"The hotter and the drier and the windier it gets, the higher the risk."
While it would be hot and dry during the day, Ms Wotherspoon said the temperature would only drop to about 15°C overnight, making for hot and humid sleeping conditions.
"It might feel dry during the day in those northwesterlies, but I think in the evenings when things switch back to a northeasterly, it will probably become quite humid again, which is the worst of both worlds.
"It might be a good idea to take a blanket off the bed."
120km/h winds to buffet Canterbury
Further north, MetService has issued an orange wind warning for severe gale northwesterlies of up to 120km/h for the Canterbury High Country and the plains near the foothills.
"Any fires will be very hard to control in these conditions, so we want people to delay all planned burns until the winds have dropped again and temperatures have cooled down," Mid-South Canterbury District Commander Rob Hands said in a statement today.
It is barely a month since fires fanned by galeforce winds, causing significant damage around Kaikoura and the Clarence River, Hurunui District and at the Rangitata Huts. Several of them took firefighters days to put out.
People who light fires were legally responsible for putting them out - something that was often overlooked, Mr Hands said.
