Christchurch residents should prepare for cooler weather next week after the sixth driest April on record.
Metservice meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said on Thursday, 13.44mm of rainfall had been recorded at Christchurch Airport in April.
"The recorded sunshine hours don't come out until the end of the month but overall because it was quite dry it was also quite sunny," she said.
Fifty-nine millimetres of rain was recorded in Christchurch during April 2019.
The weather is set to take a turn next week, Ms Griffiths said.
"The key thing is probably the drop in temperatures next week. The average temperature looks remarkably cooler with a deepening southerly expected to hit Christchurch on Monday.
"We are forecasting a strong southerly change with cloud and rain developing. The maximum temperature on Monday is 19 deg C ahead of the southerly but it will feel significantly lower when it kicks in."
Average temperatures are expected to be about 13 or 14 deg C for the first half of next week, she said.
Metservice is predicting mild weather this weekend with some spots of rain and wind on Friday.
