Tauranga residents were treated to an epic sunrise this morning as the rain which set in at the beginning of the week finally eased.

MetService forecasts clear skies for the Bay of Plenty over the next two days before the wet weather returns over the weekend.

MetService meteorologist Andrew James says fine weather is to be expected for Thursday and Friday with chances of fog in inland areas due to the wet ground.

'With it being winter, there are still chances of cloud coverage for inland areas but no so much for Tauranga,” says Andrew.

'Showers are expected to continue on Saturday before the rain completely sets in on Sunday.”

Tauranga has also been experiencing warmer than average evenings due to cloud coverage and warm air coming from the North.

Andrew says this will continue with the coming system.

'If you have been struggling to sleep at night, the warm nights are expected to continue over the coming week,” he says.