A cold front racing up the South Island today means we’re in for a cold weekend.

Overnight hail and thunderstorms blitzed Christchurch and today similar conditions are expected along the nation’s west coast.

The front is expected to reach Auckland tonight bringing a sudden drop in temperatures.  Auckland’s high tomorrow is just 11 degrees.

Meanwhile snow is expected to fall to low levels over Southland and Otago and across the Desert Road this weekend.

The Weather Watch Centre is even reporting  a risk of snow and sleet across Canterbury including Christchurch.

We’ll have more details later today.