Cyclone to bring wet, humid Christmas

Moderate rain is expected over Hawke's Bay, providing a wet but humid Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

MetService forecaster Philippa Murdoch said the moderate rainfall was likely to be a result of the ex-tropical cyclone Evan passing over the top half of the North Island today and tomorrow, Christmas Day.

"There will be rain developing on Boxing Day and some rain easing into showers on Thursday. We are looking at some fine spells beginning to develop on Friday."

The MetService said temperatures in Napier would reach 24C today, with some showers.

Tomorrow it would be 24C, with periods of cloud, and on Boxing Day it would be 29C, with showers.

It was a similar story in Hastings where the temperature was expected to reach 23C today, with showers, 29C tomorrow, with cloud, and 30C, with rain, on Boxing Day.

Dannevirke followed a similar rainfall pattern with the temperature expected to reach 22C today, and 27C tomorrow and on Boxing Day.