A group of Dunedin families often meet to picnic and take the children swimming at Back Beach behind Port Chalmers. They say the water is warm and it is an interesting and safe place for the children to swim. Enjoying a sunny day on Saturday are (clockwise from top) Viliami Molia (submerged), 7, Lolo Kililiti, 7, Mele Molia, 8, Luisa Makanesi, 12, Mao Kililiti, 11, and Pau Kililiti, 10. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY

If you liked the weekend’s weather, you are in for a treat.

MetService meteorologist Philippa Murdoch said much of the same was likely for Dunedin in the week ahead.

Aside from a few fine breaks on Saturday afternoon, mostly cloudy conditions prevailed in the city over the weekend, Miss Murdoch said.

Yesterday, Dunedin Airport reached a high of 20.4°C, while Central Otago basked in warmer weather and Southland and North Otago stayed cooler.

Wanaka reached 29.5°C yesterday, Queenstown Airport recorded a high of 25°C, Oamaru Airport reached 17.7°C and Invercargill managed 16.3°C.

For the next few days the country would enjoy "a nice big ridge" of high pressure.

On Wednesday, though, a trough would approach from the Tasman Sea, which would bring a few showers, mainly along the west coast of the South Island, and the deep south.

Dunedin would be "a little more sheltered from that . . . and then another ridge builds in behind that".

Dunedin would have cloudy periods for much of today, with a small chance of a shower this afternoon.

Tomorrow would be mostly cloudy with showers late in the day.

And it would likely clear up on Wednesday, she said.

By Thursday, the approaching front would bring showers to the city.

"I do believe we’ve got a ridge developing again behind that, briefly.

"Friday’s looking good, but then again into Sunday [there’s] possibly some rain developing."

Generally, there would be cloudy periods with chances of afternoon and evening showers for much of the week, but there would also be some sunny spells, especially on Wednesday and Friday.

Throughout the week there ought to be some "reasonably warm temperatures", especially on Wednesday and the Thursday, when it was expected to hit 23°C.

— Staff reporter