Today's forecast high is 33degC in Alexandra. Temperatures in the town tomorrow are expected to reach 28degC.
MetService predicted small bouts of rain in the district tomorrow but said fine weather would return next week.
At 6.30pm yesterday, Alexandra and Ranfurly recorded 31degC, Cromwell reached 30degC, and Roxburgh stayed in the high 20s.
Throughout the past week, temperatures have been hovering in the high 20s in the district, with average overnight lows of between 13degC and 15degC.
The warm weather is kick-starting Central Otago's summer and comes as a shock to many in the district, who last week were dusting snow off their boots and winter jackets.
A series of cold fronts worked their way through Central Otago towns in the first week of November, bringing up to 13cm of snow in parts of the Maniototo.
Hills around Alexandra, Roxburgh and Cromwell were blanketed with snow on November 5, while inches of the white stuff fell to ground level in Naseby and Ranfurly.
Orchardists and viticulturists in Cromwell and nearby Bannockburn were up three nights in a row last week, fighting frost on their crops.
Last Saturday dawned clear, bringing the worst frost all year to parts of the Bendigo, Tarras, Cromwell, and Bannockburn basin.
While not severe enough to seriously harm crops, the frost was blamed for stunting growth on grapevines, cherry trees, and stone fruit trees in the area.
Continued hot weather is likely to have a reverse effect, ripening fruit earlier than expected.
Jackson Orchards had planned to pick its early cherry varieties next week, although temperatures could change the schedule.
Orchard staff said warm weather would be good for the cherries and may bring on early ripening of some varieties.
Despite warm weather, the ground in Central Otago has reasonable moisture levels after a wet winter and spring.
