Central Otago temperatures were frigid over the weekend, when Kyeburn dropped to -10.3˚C, Arrowtown (-7.6˚C) and Alexandra and Cromwell dropped to -6˚C.
Cromwell barely reached a daily high of 0.9˚C on Sunday.
MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said the Otago region would go from one extreme to the other today, when a band of rain was expected to bring possible thunderstorms and strong wind gusts to western areas, especially about the South Island.
Strong northwest winds were also expected early this week about the main divide, bringing unusually warm temperatures to coastal Otago, where the mercury was expected to rise to 16˚C in Dunedin today, 15˚C in Oamaru and 17˚C in Christchurch, he said.
The temperatures were forecast to continue in the low teens for the rest of the week.
‘‘This week we see westerly winds bringing in waves of showers,’’ Mr Pawley said.
‘‘So if you’re looking for drier weather for the second week of the school holidays, the best bet is to travel east.’’
Otago’s cold weather at the weekend paled in comparison with the overnight minimum air temperatures at Mt Cook Airport which dropped to -11.5˚C and Lake Tekapo which plunged to -12.5˚C on Sunday morning.
They were the coldest temperatures in those areas so far this winter.
However, they did not even come close to the record winter lows for the area.
The South Island’s — and New Zealand’s — record coldest temperature is -25.6° C, which was recorded in Ranfurly, on July 17, 1903.
More recent exceptionally low temperatures have been recorded at Ophir, which recorded -21.6°C in July 1995 and Tara Hills (near Omarama) which reached -21.0°C in June 1968.
