Thousands of people around the country, including in Tauranga, will be bracing for a chilly dawn start to ANZAC Day.

Thursday’s weather will remain settled over the upper North Island with cloud cover increasing through the morning.

The MetService says temperatures will be a touch chilly sitting in the single digits through Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and down the east coast.

For areas bordering Cook Strait, that’s Wellington, the Kāpiti Coast, and coastal Marlborough, there will be blustery northwesterly winds, so a windproof layer won’t go amiss.

Northwesterly winds will also be on the rise in exposed parts of the Canterbury High Country, inland Otago, and Southland.

An Orange Strong Wind Warning is in place for the Canterbury High Country, while the other areas mentioned are under a Strong Wind Watch.

Winds will ease from the south by the end of the day.

MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan recommends, “best to bring a raincoat if you’re in Southland or Queenstown Lakes even though it might start off dry”.

Buller and Grey will have showery weather, while a band of heavy rain is expected to travel northwards over Westland as the morning progresses.

An Orange Heavy Rain Warning is in place for the ranges of Westland from 4am to 2pm tomorrow; there is also a Heavy Rain Watch for Fiordland earlier on.

For the upcoming weekend, Corrigan explains, “Friday will see periods of wet weather across the country and a change to cooler southwesterly winds. Any lingering showers are expected to clear up for the weekend, but that chillier air remains, so we’re looking at a prolonged run of single digit overnight temperatures into next week and frosts in the South Island.”

Corrigan elaborates, “Clear skies are what allow for these cooler nights, but they also let temperatures bounce back into the mid to high teens during the sunny afternoons this weekend for a fine end to the school holidays.”

Image: MetService.