With high temperatures, sunny skies and plenty of dry weather, January has been a very settled month.

However, changes in weather patterns over New Zealand for the weekend and the start of February could bring some much-needed rainfall to the country followed by cooler temperatures.

The MetService is forecasting rain for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in the Bay.

The MetService is forecasting rain for Sunday and Monday, with showers predicted for Tuesday in the Bay of Plenty. This week has seen the return of active showers over parts of the North Island, however, the distribution of the rainfall has been sporadic.

'While New Plymouth airport received 42mm of rain on Wednesday, down the road in Hawera the rain gauge remained empty,” says a statement from the weather organisation.

'Heading into the weekend, an area of low pressure is forecast to bring cloudier conditions across the country, with patchy rain forecast for many places exposed to the west and north.”

A change in temperatures is also on the cards for the coming week, with a switch in wind direction from recent warm and humid northerlies to a cooler southerly flow.

Temperatures will remain in the mid-20s for the Bay and drop to around 20 degrees for the overnight low.

Northerly winds around the top of the South Island on Monday may bring some patchy rainfall into Nelson in time for their Anniversary Day.

Although the timing may not be perfect after a very dry month, any rain is likely to be welcomed by many.

Rainfall totals in the region over the month of January have remained very low, with only 5mm recorded at Nelson Airport.