MetService is warning chilly temperatures which swept the country this morning are set to continue “well into next week”.
Meteorologist Alec Holden said the coldest temperature in the country this morning was Twizel at -5.6C.
The warmest was — believe it or not — Wellington, with 9.6C being recorded in Lyall Bay.
Christchurch, meanwhile, will have its coldest night of the week tonight, with temperatures dropping to -3.3C.
“Calm and frosty conditions will dominate well into next week, punctuated by brief showers as a weather system sweeps up the country Friday and Saturday,” MetService said this afternoon.
Do you have any photos of your chilly start this morning? Email [email protected]
Tomorrow, MetService expects a fast-moving front to arrive over the far south of the South Island, bringing a brief bout of showers as it sweeps northwards across the country into Saturday.
By Sunday, only a few showers remain for the upper North Island and the Deep South, accompanied by strong westerly winds which could be something to watch.
The new week will see Aotearoa New Zealand come under the influence of a ridge of high pressure that is expected to stick around for a few days.
“This means mostly settled and bright weather ahead, great timing for school holidays! However, the possibility of low cloud or fog settling into inland valleys, which may linger for a little while, should not be discounted,” MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said.
On today’s chill, Holden said earlier there were two reasons why the cold has settled in.
“First is a south-westerly flow dragging Antarctic air over the country.”
The second reason, Holden explained, is due a ridge of high pressure, which is causing infrared to leave the surface, cooling the temperature.
Over the weekend, Holden said the frost is likely to stay, but the weather outside of the cold is uneventful.
“Auckland may have it the worst with the continued south-westerly and a few showers [on Saturday].”
Auckland was set to hit a high of 13C today and experience a chilly 3C overnight.
When asked what the coldest recorded high in Auckland was, Holden said it was 9C on July 4, 1996, exactly 28 years ago today.
He added while we are still a ways off of that, it is still “quite balmy” in the City of Sails today.
On Monday, MetService warned colder nights were coming as winter settled in.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said Christchurch would have its coldest night of the year tonight. It should have read of the week.
