Cold weather to linger, MetService warns of icy lows across regions

The remainder of the working week is set to stay chilly. Photo / 123RF

The remainder of the working week is set to stay chilly, and some regions are forecast to drop to icy lows that barely scrape above freezing.

MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker told the Herald the temperatures were not out of the ordinary range for spring but would feel noticeably cold.

One of the coldest main centres will be Christchurch, which is forecast to drop to 2C tonight.

Other regions staying within single digits include Twizel, which will have a low of 0C, Timaru 2C and Queenstown 4C.

“We’ve had northwesterlies over the North Island, and we got this big southwest push that came up over the South Island and essentially kind of muscled all of that warmer air from the northwest out,” Bakker said.

“It’s not so much that it has been a cold snap; it’s just been comparatively more cold than all of that warm air previously was,” he said.

Theo Bell, 3, tobogganing with his dad Nath Bell, on Lambrook Farm, South Canterbury. Photo / Supplied

After a long weekend of snow, that trapped vehicles in the South Island, the bite in the air is expected to linger until the start of the weekend.

Many key routes were blocked by snow and ice, and at least one was under an avalanche warning.

One road snowfall warning remains for Milford Rd (SH94) from 9pm tonight until 3am tomorrow.

Bakker said the southwesterlies will hang on for a bit longer, meaning the cold temperatures will stick around until Friday.

“It’ll be gradually easing off on the coldness as we go through.

“Things start swinging back into the warmer temperatures over the weekend.”

He said the chill will feel more pronounced in the South Island.

Auckland and Wellington’s temperatures for the remainder of the week are within average, he said.

Auckland’s temperatures hover from 11C to 12C for the minimum and 1C8 to 20C for the maximum.

The high for Wellington is 16C tomorrow, and 11C is the expected low.

“Christchurch is a little bit cooler, so minimum tonight will be 2C, when normally they’d be expecting kind of 6C-ish, for October,” Bakker said.

He said the weekend is looking relatively settled across most of the country.

“It’s a taste of summer. Mainly fine for most, with some afternoon showers inland.”

Weekend temperatures are forecast to hit the late teens and early 20s for everyone.

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