The Cardrona Alpine Resort this morning. Photo: Cardrona Alpine Resort

The first snowfall of the year has given a light coating to mountains in the South Island after a cold front moved across the country last night.

Cardrona Alpine Resort says it's had a dusting of snow overnight.

"Just a couple of months until we open for winter and this has got us pretty excited," a spokesperson said.

Snow could also be seen on The Remarkables and Coronet Peak in Queenstown on Thursday morning.

A cold front moved across the country yesterday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the North and South islands.

Thunderstorms also rumbled across the south overnight.

The Remarkables this morning. Photo: The Remarkables

There is a noticeable difference in temperatures in many places today than yesterday.

Christchurch was sitting at 12 deg C at 10am on Thursday and is set to reach a high of just 13 deg C, while Dunedin was on 10 deg C and Wellington 13 deg C.

Aucklanders will get to enjoy the warmer weather for a little longer, with the city reaching 20 deg C this morning.

The weather is expected to remain relatively fine for most of the country over the weekend.

There is a chance of showers in Wellington on Friday and Auckland on Saturday which is forecast to clear up quickly.

-By Devon Bolger