The start of what will be at least four very wintry days ahead has arrived in the South Island’s deep south tonight reports New Zealand’s weather news authority WeatherWatch.co.nz.

Hail and showers have been reported in Southland with the first of what will be several cold fronts, each colder than the last, currently moving across Otago.

It isn’t expected to bring much precipitation and is not the main snow front.

Behind this front are several “surges” of cold air which will each bring showers, hail, and gradually reduce the snow level to sea level by dawn in some areas.

The air temperature well south of Stewart Island is already -1 and will be dropping. 

Meanwhile a large low in the Tasman Sea this evening crossed over into the Pacific Ocean a couple of hundred kilometres north of Cape Reinga.  This low will track south east during Sunday and deepen and by Monday will play a significant role in helping pull up Antarctic air across New Zealand, working with three other low pressure centres in the western Pacific and a “monster” high in the Tasman Sea.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says while snow is likely in southern and eastern parts of the South Island tomorrow the worst of the weather won’t be until Monday and Tuesday nationwide.

Even northern New Zealand will be exposed with WeatherWatch.co.nz predicting snow to fall on the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland to 300m overnight Monday and into Tuesday and the weather news authority hasn’t ruled out lowering that height even further.

WeatherWatch.co.nz also says their predicted high of 9 degrees in Auckland on Tuesday will be challenging the records.  Auckland’s lowest maximum temperature is 8 degrees.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz

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