Weather warnings as snow begins to fall

After recent flooding, MetService is liaising with the regional council in Whanganui to monitor river levels. Photo / Bevan Conley

Parts of New Zealand are in for a dusting of snow as a cold wave of icy winter weather sweeps north.

The MetService says snow and sleet showers are now hitting Southland and southern parts of Fiordland and Clutha, where severe weather warnings are in place. Snow is also falling near Mt Cook.

The forecast worsens as the week goes on and snow showers could reach Dunedin and Christchurch tomorrow. Heavier falls are expected in the hill country around those cities.

The snow is expected to reach the North Island in the middle of the week, with falls in eastern parts down to 200 metres.

"It is shaping up to be a cold week," MetService Meteorologist John Law said.

"The combination of these cold temperatures with the showery airstream moving across New Zealand does mean we are likely to have snow falling to lower levels in many places."

The winterless north will even be brought back into season as the chilly air reaches Northland and Auckland on Wednesday, bringing cold days and colder nights as temperatures drop to three or four degrees overnight.

Parts of Waikato and the Central Plateau are forecast to drop below freezing.

And while the weather will be wintry down south, it's unlikely to reach the record lows of last month.

"Look out for more cold nights coming up across inland Canterbury and Otago," Mr Law said.

"But without a deep layer of snow to keep the lower levels of the air incredibly cold, temperatures are forecast to drop to -9 or -10 for the likes of Twizel, rather than the -20 that was recorded last month."