Big Spring chill
A major cold outbreak is expected over New Zealand on Tuesday.
"The most wintry conditions are likely to be over the south of the South Island," commented MetService's Media and
Communications Meteorologist, Daniel Corbett. "Very strong cold showery southwesterlies are expected to spread over
Fiordland, Southland and Otago overnight Monday, with snow falling to sea level." These conditions could cause stress
for livestock without shelter and make driving difficult, especially about the higher roads.
"Wind chill will be a significant factor even in places where it doesn't snow," Corbett went on to say. "The "feels
like" temperature will be well below the actual temperature - partly because the air will be very cold for the time of
year, but also because the winds are expected to be noticeably strong over a lot of the country."
During Tuesday, the cold southwesterlies are expected to spread over all of New Zealand, bringing snow down to 500
metres or lower in eastern areas from Gisborne to Canterbury, around the central North Island high country across to
Taranaki, and southwards to Wellington. In most places snow is not likely to fall in large quantities, but there may be
enough to disrupt travel on some higher roads. Many North Island places will continue to have strong or westerlies for
the next couple of days.
On Wednesday after the showers have cleared, widespread frosts are likely just about anywhere south of Auckland, with
severe frosts possible in inland parts of the South Island.
On Sunday, MetService issued a Severe Weather Warning, a Severe Weather Watch and a Special Weather Advisory in
anticipation of this event. Keep up to date with the latest MetService information at metservice.com or on mobile
devices at m.metservice.com. You can also follow our updates @metservice on Twitter or watch the latest severe weather
video on MetService TV.