MetService is keeping a close eye on the numbers this week as temperatures tell the story.

Hot weather along the eastern seaboard is the talk of Tuesday, with parts of Canterbury forecast to climb to 36 degrees.

The forecast in Tauranga is expected to reach 31 degrees today, and 27 degrees tomorrow.

MetService meteorologist Tahlia Crabtree says the heat is due to the föhn effect.

Hot, gusty northwesterlies may approach gale at times during Tuesday and Wednesday across Canterbury, Otago, and Southland, where Strong Wind Watches are in place.

The hottest temperatures shift to Gisborne/Hawke's Bay on Wednesday.

Farther north Kerikeri is forecast a three day run of 30 degrees which is resemblent of this time last year when the mercury pushed 30+ six days running.

Humid conditions across the country dramatically flip from Thursday, plummeting temperatures back to mid-teens.

Christchurch may see as much as a 20 degree drop between Tuesday and Friday.

'The northwesterlies are the precursor to a cold, southwest change," Tahlia says.

Most regions will briefly see some wet weather on Thursday or Friday as cold temperatures are ushered in for the end of the week.

Although the change will bring cool relief after a run of sticky nights, the single digit minimums might be enough for an extra blanket.

Lucky for the most, the weekend is shaping up for a settled, albeit cooler, end to January.