The same weather patterns that have brought a record run of 25degC-plus days to Cromwell have resulted in a run of six 20degC-plus days in Dunedin, which started on November 25.
The MetService is predicting Dunedin’s run to continue: the next 10 days are forecast to have maximum temperatures above 20degC and a 27degC high is predicted for tomorrow.
The rest of Otago is also expected to have a few more hot days, including Queenstown, Wanaka and Oamaru, where temperatures will hover around the mid-to-high 20s over the weekend.
In Alexandra, the mercury is expected to hit 29degC tomorrow and on Sunday.
MetService communications meteorologist Lisa Murray said a ridge of high pressure was staying over the country for a "quite unusual" length of time.
The high-pressure system was now bringing northwesterly winds, which were associated with warm temperatures.
The run of hot weather was also heating up the ground, boosting air temperatures further, and evening cloud was stopping the heat from escaping.
At Dunedin Airport, the average temperature for November had been 13degC, which was 1.5degC higher than the average.
That was a "significant difference", she said.
It was also a dry November, with just 27.2mm of rain at Dunedin Airport compared with a long-term monthly average of 62mm.
Dunedin’s warm start to summer could be a sign of things to come - Niwa is predicting a growing La Nina will bring hotter-than-usual conditions across the South Island.
