Summer is here but the skies are not reflecting it with rain forecast for the second half of the week.

The MetService is predicting showers today, turning to heavy falls on Thursday and Friday with highs of 22 – 25 degrees.

The MetService is forecasting rain for Tauranga this week.

'Although December 1 marks the start of the summer season, night-time temperatures have been cold for the time of year,” says MetService communications meteorologist John Law.

'Minimum temperatures Sunday night across the Central Plateau fell to a chilly 1C, while on the South Island similar temperatures were reported at Pukaki.”

Temperatures in Tauranga this week are expected to remain around the 20 degree mark with overnight lows around 17 degrees.

'The clear skies and light winds beneath the high help give us some very pleasant temperatures during the day, but with some cold air over us and without a blanket of cloud to keep in the daytime heating, the temperature just drops away overnight.”

John says the settled weather is short-lived as a new system is set to bring cloudier and wetter weather across the rest of the North Island on Wednesday and Thursday.

'The forecast team are keeping an eye on this system moving in from the north, as it may bring some heavy rain at times for the likes of Northland and across to the Bay of Plenty, as well as for Nelson in the South Island.

'The coming weekend sees the return of windy westerlies, accompanied by cloud, rain or showers in the west and mostly fine weather in the east.”