Who left the freezer door ajar?
The cold outbreak over the weekend was felt by most over the South Island and continues to move north over the next day
or so. "Snow was reported to low levels in the far south, and the accompanying blustery southerly winds made for a very
cold night on Sunday" MetService Communications Meteorologist Elke Louw commented.
As the front moves over the North Island today it is expected to weaken,with the strong winds easing as the day
progresses. The cold showers will slowly start to clear as well.
"A ridge of high pressure is expected to build across the country Monday evening, accompanied by clear skies. However,
with the cold air still lingering in many places, very chilly mornings are expected this week" Louw said. Widespread
frosts are expected tomorrow and Wednesday morning, with severe frosts likely for inland parts of the South Island. The
Capital can expect a minimum of around 4C, with places in the Waikato and Wairarapa in the region of 2C. "Even the far
north can expect a chilly start, with people waking up to minimums in the low single digits. Those travelling on the
roads during these mornings will need to be wary of 'black ice' from the deep-south to the far north" Louw commented.
Another front approaches the South Island mid-week, bringing another spell of heavy rain to the West Coast of the South
Island, with northwest gales and very low temperatures once again likely in the east.
Another cold Antarctic blast behind this front is likely to bring snow once again to low levels in the south and east of
the South Island as we head into Thursday. This front will move quickly up the North Island later on Thursday, before
another clearing, frosty ridge starts to build as we head into the weekend.
Keep up to date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings at metservice.com or on mobile devices at
m.metservice.com. You can also follow our updates on MetService TV, @metservice on Twitter and at blog. metservice.com.
If you want to know about potential delays before you hit the state highways visit the NZ Transport Agency's
onthemove.govt.nz website and sign up for free, customisable email alerts designed to inform you before you start your
journey about notable road and driving conditions, incidents and road works taking place on New Zealand's state
highways. Motorists can also visit www.highwayinfo.govt.nz for up to date information from the NZTA, or call 0800 4
HIGHWAYS for either the latest highway conditions or to report incidents or hazards on the state highways.
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