A flurry of snow has started falling on roads in the lower half of the North Island, kicking off a blisteringly cold weekend.
MetService reported between 1cm and 2cm of snow has fallen on Rimutaka Hill Rd in the Wellington region where a road snowfall warning is in place.
Motorists have also taken to social media, saying it was "quite snowy" in the area this evening.
Quite snowy rimutaka hill😳
— Tracey Burtt (@tracey_burtt) July 28, 2017
MetService meteorologist Tom Adams says the country is in for a fine but chilly weekend, with sub-zero temperatures set to hit the central North Island and dropping as low as -10C in Mt Cook tonight.
It's getting cold! Temps getting down in the negative double-digits in inland parts of South Island tonight. https://t.co/Yjbq0jxdqz ^TA pic.twitter.com/EzXTfEUEI8
— MetService (@MetService) July 28, 2017
Road snowfall warnings remain in place for the Desert Rd and Rimutaka Hill Rd however a warning for Napier-Taupo Rd was lifted just after 8pm on Friday.
In Wellington up to 3cm of snow is expected to settle on the Rimutaka Hill Rd by midday Saturday.
Low snow was visible on the hills behind Desert Rd as temperatures dropped to 1C at 4pm today, where less than 1cm of snow is set to accumulate by 9am Saturday.
An earlier road snowfall warning stated 6cm of snow was expected in that time period.
"We are waiting for the freezing level to drop. As night goes on we are expecting a few centimetres of snow on high roads in the North Island," said Adams this afternoon.
Adams said the roads needed to be cold enough for snow to settle, not melt, when it hits the ground.
Snow is expected on #SH2 Rimutaka Hill tonight. More information available here: https://t.co/YKkOWV4zwh. ^MF pic.twitter.com/ggMyBm75Ul
— Waka Kotahi Wellington (@WakaKotahiWgtn) July 28, 2017
"As the sun goes down the roads will cool off."
Adams said motorists planning on driving along the Desert Rd, Napier-Taupo Rd and Rimutaka Hill Rd should be careful.
Road Snowfall Warning issued for Napier-Taupo Rd, Desert Rd, Rimutaka Hill road https://t.co/6hXzDttysT
— Severe Weather Info (@MetServiceWARN) July 27, 2017
Rain, snow and frosts were also expected to make driving tricky in the South Island where the frost risk is extremely high for most areas. There was also a chance of black ice tonight.
Rain, snow and frosts tonight make tricky conditions on the roads. Image shows rain and frosts - black ice possible where they overlap. ^TA pic.twitter.com/TfGIaX1dLV
— MetService (@MetService) July 28, 2017
The good news is, there will be "plenty of blue skies around" on Saturday and Sunday as a ridge of high pressure makes its way across the country according to Adams. But the sun won't hide bitterly cold temperatures.
Aucklanders are in for some chilly days with lows of 4C and highs of 13C this weekend.
Those further down the North Island, including Taupo, Taumarunui and Hamilton should wrap up warm with temperatures set to plummet to -3C on Saturday.
Cantabrians are also expected to be hit with freezing temperatures, dropping to -4C tomorrow.
This week's polar blast, that left inland areas of the South Island covered in snow, today caused major traffic woes across the south, with vehicles slipping uncontrollably on ice-coated roads.
Snow, ice and flooding affected a number of highways across Canterbury to Southland.
The NZ Transport Agency said while all alpine passes have remained open, the wintry conditions were proving challenging for motorists.
Police issued a warning to all road users saying the cold snap had left southern roads in a dangerous condition and pleaded with motorists to drive carefully.
Treacherous conditions were causing problems for many drivers particularly around Invercargill and on the Clinton Highway between Gore and Balclutha earlier today.
In one lethal icy patch five trucks and cars slid off the same stretch of road north of Invercargill.
Snow flurries fell across the Christchurch Port Hills this morning and were also forecast to fall on the Dunedin foothills today.
The NZ Mountain Safety Council also advised those heading to out enjoy themselves in the snow to check the NZAA site for avalanche risks first.
Off to the snow? Check the NZAA before you head into the backcountry - https://t.co/sDF4EhiXbr #KnowBeforeYouSnow #MakeItHomeNZ #NZAA pic.twitter.com/U98HWIpgup
— Mountain Safety Council (@NZ_MSC) July 28, 2017
The Council also has a YouTube playlist with video tips on alpine and snow safety.
Did you know we have a YouTube playlist specifically for alpine & snow safety? - https://t.co/rf0YlHIKkh #KnowBeforeYouSnow #Shac2017 pic.twitter.com/jiuP17Iqzr
— Mountain Safety Council (@NZ_MSC) July 28, 2017