A cold snap hit much of the country overnight, with temperatures plummeting to mid-winter levels in some places.
It was chilly in Wanaka this morning, getting down to 0.3C°. Photo: Twitter / MetService
Niwa said it had got down to -4.7°C in Middlemarch in Otago and there were similar temperatures in nearby Ranfurly with Pukaki hitting -5°.
Both Auckland and Wellington this morning recorded their coldest temperatures since October last year, with 6.8° and 8.2° respectively.
North of Wellington in Upper Hutt it was colder again, at 1.4°.
And the central North Island also felt the chill with temperatures, hovering around freezing level or below.
WeatherWatch said it would warm up a bit this afternoon but it could get cold again overnight before warming again on Wednesday.
MetService said a new front was expected to make its way over the South Island this morning bringing rain to the centre of the country and strong winds to Canterbury, Otago and Southland.
More cold air was expected on Thursday, it said.
The polar conditions brought the first snow of the season yesterday with heavy falls on Mt Hutt and Cadrona getting a coating.
A selection of minimum temperatures observed across the South Island this morn. Pukaki coming in at -5.0! Brrr pic.twitter.com/TWdBB5rVTC
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) May 1, 2017
