Snow has been falling in Naseby on Friday afternoon as a cold snap works its way up the country.
MetService had warned of possible snow showers down to 700m in parts of Central Otago ahead of the flurries, but the worst of the weather was due to hit over the weekend.
Yesterday, MetService meteorologist Clare O’Connor said New Zealanders should prepare for below-average temperatures across the board.
"The South Island will really feel the cold overnight into Saturday, whereas the North Island will be slightly delayed, hitting overnight into Sunday," she said.
Niwa forecaster Ben Noll earlier told The New Zealand Herald a mass of cooler air was due to move up the South Island on Tuesday and Wednesday before a larger flow hits northward at the end of the week.
"That’s the one I think most people are going to feel, as it’s going to progress up the whole country - and some temperatures will seem closer to late autumn," Noll said.MetService issued a road snowfall warning for Porters Pass (State Highway 73) from 2pm to 9pm on Friday.
"We’re talking about snow falling above 800m in the Canterbury high country area from the Mackenzie Basin to North Canterbury," O’Connor said.
She said a few centimetres could fall, but little if any is likely to settle on the road."The road temperatures are still fairly warm at this time of year, so it will just melt on the road whereas when we get into winter where the temperatures are colder all the time, that allows things to hang around a lot longer."
In Dunedin, a brief period of heavy rain was accompanied by a sudden drop in temperatures to a chilly 7degC at about 1.30pm.
- Additional reporting NZ Herald
