Frosty start to the days set to ease
Southern spot got down to -7C yesterday
Kiwis should feel slightly warmer getting out of bed in the coming days with northerly winds set to bring higher temperatures.
Yesterday continued the theme of the week with the mercury dipping below zero in many parts.
Coldest of them all were those in inland southern areas of the South Island. Tekapo¯ dropped to a frosty -7C while Dunedin Airport got down to -5.4C. In the north, Waiouru reached -5.5C.
Auckland, which hit its coldest morning of the year on Wednesday with some places falling below zero, reached 4C at the airport but some areas further from open water may have been closer to freezing.
Today’s weather is expected to continue the cold trend with plenty of frosts across the country. Eastern areas of Northland and Gisborne may see some showers alongside Fiordland, which could become drizzly later in the day.
However, MetService meteorologist Aidan Pyselman was optimistic temperatures were on the rise tomorrow and Tuesday, as the high pressure system hanging overhead was removed by impending northerlies.
“This high starts receding to the North Island [tomorrow] and we have northerlies developing over southern parts of the country and that sees a bit of a rise in temperatures,” he said.
The North Island may get frosty conditions tomorrow but the South Island would be warmer, Pyselman said.
Auckland will have a mainly fine and breezy week, with showers on Wednesday and Friday.
Wanaka was set to hit 7C overnight — which was about 7C higher than its average for this time of year.
But Pyselman had a warning for later in the week, with southwesterly winds replacing the northerlies, seeing temperatures return to low levels. The likes of Wanaka and Queenstown could reach between -3C and -5C by Wednesday or Thursday.
Aucklanders wrap up warm to enjoy the winter sun at Cornwall Park.