MetService says the warm weather New Zealand has been experiencing for the past few months is "well and truly gone" and this May should be a little cooler than usual for the North Island.
Forecaster Georgina Griffiths said the factors which produced the heat have now subsided, and La Nina has transitioned back to neutral levels.
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April was a stormy month for New Zealand, with frequent low pressure systems hitting the country, including several damaging weather events.
"As we enter May, there is a brief change away from the highly unsettled weather seen in April," Ms Griffiths said.
"High pressure and drier conditions prevail this week. But the weather maps soon show a variety of weather features again."
Southland and the West Coast are also forecast to have a drier-than-usual May, with typical rainfall levels expected in the rest of the country.
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