Daily highs of around 27 degrees are being forecast for the Bay of Plenty for the next five days.

As of yesterday, Tropical Cyclone Winston – which is now a category 1 – was moving southwest into the Tasman Sea.

Warm temperatures are expected for the next few days. Image: MetService.

As Winston crossed latitude 25 south early yesterday morning, MetService New Zealand's Tropical Cyclone Warning Centre took over responsibility from the Fiji Meteorological Service for issuing all official advisories and bulletins about TC Winston.

'TC Winston is expected to pass north of Norfolk Island overnight, then to track westward towards the mid-Tasman Sea. As it does, it will lose its tropical cyclone characteristics and evolve into a mid-latitude low,” says communications meteorologist Lisa Murray.

'The risk of this low then tracking across or directly impacting New Zealand is diminishing day by day.”

While TC Winston moves westward, the northerly flow to the east of the cyclone is expected to push humid, sub-tropical air across the North Island from Friday evening into the weekend.

The humid air is expected to bring patchy rain to many places in the North Island this weekend, though the rain could be more significant for central areas from Taranaki across to the Kaimanawa Ranges.

'This humid sub-tropical air will also bring muggy temperatures,” says MetService meteorologist Claire Flynn.

'Overnight lows in the late teens or early twenties are likely for much of the North Island this weekend.” Hot temperatures are expected to continue for some places in the east of the South Island, due to gusty northwesterly winds combined with warm air from Australia.

However, the lower South Island has cooled off briefly today with a southerly change. Looking ahead, it's expected to heat up in the east on Friday before another southerly front cools things off in the south on Saturday and then moves further up the South Island on Sunday.