Several South Island centres are on just 8 degrees at the typically warmest part of the day.

Invercargill, Dunedin, Queenstown, Timaru, Lumsden and Akaroa are all currently just 8 degrees.   It’s 10 degrees in Christchurch and Kaikoura with Wellington only on 13.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says the cold air isn’t aggressively moving north so northern and western regions wont see such a dramatic change in conditions.

By the weekend the weather should be settled with frosts returning to a number of areas in both islands and the southerly change will finally reach Auckland and other northern centres.