Cold mornings and thunderstorms in the west predicted to start week

Fog blankets the suburb of Sandringham as the winter sun rises over Mt Eden early on Sunday ahead of another week of cold mornings for the country. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Cold mornings, thunderstorms and heavy rain across the west coast of the country are what Kiwis can look forward to for the start of their week.

A series of fronts moving up the country on Sunday brought thunderstorms to the West Coast of the South Island as well as the west of the North Island.

MetService meteorologist Amy Rossiter said active thunderstorms began moving across the country on Sunday.

For the South Island, there was a moderate risk of thunderstorms from the Marlborough Sounds and western Nelson down to Fiordland and also about coastal Southland including Stewart Island.

For the North Island, there was moderate risk of thunderstorms in the evening and at night about western parts of Waikato and Waitomo, and about Taranaki and the Horowhenua and Kapiti Coasts.

"These thunderstorms, if they occur, could bring heavy rain of 10 to 20 mm per hour, small hail and strong wind gusts of 90km/h."

Snow levels in the morning would drop in the South Island down to 100m in parts of Southland, down to 300m for Otago, 600m for Westland and 700m for central North Island areas.

"Cold strong southwesterlies, with embedded troughs, bring frequent showers to the southern and western parts of New Zealand during Tuesday and ease on Wednesday."