Sizzling highs of up to 30C are set to warm regions in the east of the country tomorrow, which is forecast to be the hottest day of the year so far.

Experts are reporting this weather heralds a period of settled, sunny conditions as we approach Christmas Day.

Blenheim, eastern Canterbury, and Northern Otago are tipped to see the highest temperatures, reaching a scorching 30C at about midday.

Niwa meteorologist Chris Brandolino said temperatures in the North Island will not be as high but still are “certainly noteworthy”.

“Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay will find the highest temperatures for the North Island tomorrow and probably not too far behind places in the eastern Bay of Plenty will get quite warm as well.”

A mixture of warm air and wispy clouds is the “quintessential recipe for a warm day, whether it’s in June or whether it’s in January”, Brandolino said.

As we head into the weekend, the same areas are expected to remain hot and sunny.

“This period is probably the beginning of an extended kind of warm and relatively settled weather for a good chunk of the country.”

Other areas, however, will not be afforded the luxury of clear skies and beaming sunshine tomorrow as the wind turns northwesterly, causing rain to fall on the west coast of the South Island, according to MetService.

“Heavy Rain Watches have been issued from Fiordland up the coast to Buller from Friday into Saturday with another front bringing further potential for heavy rain on Sunday,” meteorologist Lewis Ferris said.

“The front will likely bring some rain to southwestern parts of the North Island this weekend before the band of rain wraps across the North Island to kick off the new working week, albeit in a weakened state.”

Looking ahead to the first week of the school summer holidays next week, high pressure will begin to build up on Tuesday. This will make for a sunny run up towards Christmas Day in most areas.

“After keeping a close eye on how the forecast models have developed since they started covering the 25th the general set-up of high pressure over our shores with rain in the southwest looks to be the top contender for weather situations this Christmas,” Ferris said.

“But given the extended lead-time, it’s not worth getting into the fine details as even the rough picture provided could change significantly.”

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.