South Islanders are again facing another wintry day ahead as yet another southerly change sweeps in – this one dredging up cold Antarctic air from well south of New Zealand.

Daytime highs, for the middle of January, will actually struggle to reach double digits in some areas.  

WeatherWatch.co.nz says the incredibly low daytime highs are well below average and are being caused by an intense low south east of the country, coupled with a big high over eastern Australia.  “If this was the middle of winter we’d be looking at a snow storm or significant polar blast, but this is the middle of summer so perhaps only a dusting of snow on the tops of the mountains – but it will be cold for many in the deep south with hail to sea level”.

Parts of coastal Southland and Otago have highs of 11 to 13 degrees for Friday.

As well as the cold showers there will also be small hail showers, especially in more exposed coastal areas of Southland and Otago.  A few may also move into Canterbury and beyond.

Christchurch has a high of 17 degrees – which shoots up to 27 on Sunday as the nor’westers return.

In fact, while this system looks windy and cold, it also looks as though it won’t linger for New Zealand – despite it’s large size.  Dunedin will bounce back on Saturday to 18 with sunnier weather although highs over the next week don’t look especially hot, mostly in the mid-teens. with a variety of wind directions including nor’westers, southerlies and easterlies.

“The cold snaps this summer in southern New Zealand are being caused by a significant lack of protective southern high pressure systems, instead they have been over eastern Aussie and northern NZ bring hot weather to the east and north east but giving western and southern New Zealand the rubbish sou’west flow” says Mr Duncan.

However, regions opposite to southern NZ, like Bay of Plenty and Gisborne, are seeing much hotter and drier weather.  A tropical low next week may reverse the new developing dry trend in Northland, Auckland and Waikato with at least two to three days of showers and some more set in rain in the forecast.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz