As Lorelle Chestnut dispatched tourists on bike tours around Marlborough vineyards yesterday, she was in no doubt what season it was.
“It was warm as - there was a warm breeze. Not hot, but it felt like summer.”
Less than 24 hours later, the owner of Wine Tours by Bike was dressed in long pants, long-sleeved top and jacket - winter attire she and other Kiwis will need to keep handy over the next few days, according to the MetService.
Customer numbers today were the same - visitors don’t have the luxury of waiting for a chilly, cloudy day to pass, Chestnut said.
“But people are completely differently dressed.”
The northeast of the South Island was among a swag of places across the South Island, and parts of the North Island, that saw temperatures plunge on the second-to-last day of summer as a biting cold front travelled up the country - and with more single-digit lows expected through the weekend and into next week.
In Blenheim, highs of 27.5C on Wednesday and 25.1C yesterday were replaced by 16C today, starting with a chilly 12C as the sun rose just after 7am.
At the other end of the island, Invercargill residents shivered under a 5C low just before sun up, while those in Christchurch and Dunedin were treated to a 10C start to the day.
All were expecting highs around the mid-teens, with Christchurch’s forecast 14C temperature 6C shy of yesterday’s high.
The swing was less noticeable in the north, including in Auckland, which notched a seasonal 16C at 7am and was expected to reach 26C today, similar to yesterday’s high.
🟡 Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for the central North Island 🟡
— MetService NZ (@MetService) February 26, 2026
⛈️ Thunderstorms could bring localised areas of very heavy rain and downpours through the second half of today. pic.twitter.com/u2igCHzhNH
A large part of the central and eastern North Island is also the focus of a severe thunderstorm watch from 3pm to 11pm and affecting Taumarunui, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupō, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Taihape.
“A showery unstable air mass is expected to affect the North Island from this afternoon and evening”,” MetService said.
“For inland Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, inland Bay of Plenty including Rotorua, Taupō, Taihape, and Taumarunui, there is a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms with localised downpours bringing rainfall intensities of 25 to 40 mm/h.”
Rainfall of that intensity could cause slips, make driving hazardous and cause surface or flash flooding – especially in low-lying areas, MetService said.
There’s also a moderate risk of thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon and evening in parts of Waikato, Auckland and Northland, according to the national weather service’s thunderstorm outlook.
🌀 First Tropical Cyclone of the Southwest Pacific season forms.
— MetService NZ (@MetService) February 27, 2026
Tropical Cyclone Urmil has just been named, located over Vanuatu as a Category 1 system.
Once the system moves beyond Vanuatu, it is forecast to head into the open ocean. It is not expected to affect New Zealand. pic.twitter.com/2o6sWlrmin
The first tropical cyclone of the Southwest Pacific season has also formed, and was named Tropical Cyclone Urmil, MetService wrote on social media this afternoon.
“[It’s] located over Vanuatu as a Category 1 system. Once the system moves beyond Vanuatu, it is forecast to head into the open ocean. It is not expected to affect New Zealand.”
MetService meteorologist Braydon White said while the upper North Island remained beyond the reach of chilly temperatures for now, overnight minimums were expected to dip elsewhere tonight.
They could fall as low as 4C or 5C in inland parts of the South Island, including Alexandra, Twizel and Ashburton,
It would otherwise be a “fairly nice” day for the South Island and the lower half of the North Island tomorrow, White said.
However, another surge of cold air was due on Sunday as a rain-bearing front came up the country as far as Palmerston North by day’s end, before travelling across the rest of the North Island on Monday.
Ata mārie Aotearoa, it's a tale of two islands this morning as a cold front works its way up the country.
— MetService NZ (@MetService) February 26, 2026
📉 More cold air is on its way Sunday and Monday, some areas may see their first frost of the year. pic.twitter.com/pfSEwO4Pry
It would be a sharp dose of the incoming cold-weather seasons for some on Monday and into Tuesday, he said.
“Christchurch will be going from 18C on Sunday to 13C on Monday, with 7C [overnight] … and some sheltered, inland places may see their first frosts of the year.
“It’s autumn coming in with a bit of a bang.”
As for bike hire operator Chestnut, she’s happily already got her escape ticket from New Zealand’s famously yo-yo weather.
“We’ve been going, ‘Hang on, we didn’t really have a summer’ … [but] I’m heading to the Gold Coast for a holiday in June, and I’ll be saying goodbye to all of it.”