Winter's icy fingers take hold

wta280513absnow02.jpg 28.05.13 Snow falls at the top of the Rimutaka Hill Rd, forcing several closures throughout the day. WTA 29May13 - FUN: Elena Lynch takes time out to lob snowballs at her fri

The cold bite of winter is about to be felt in Masterton as a polar blast from the south crosses the region.

Rain is expected to hang around until early next week and the temperatures are expected to take a sudden dip tomorrow - ensuring residents are well aware winter has set in.

MetService weather forecaster Peter Little said the unsettled weather which crossed the Wairarapa yesterday was from the southwest and would be hanging around for a few days yet.

"It's not very nice out there with a band of rain over much of the North Island. There will be a few isolated showers [today]."

By Wednesday the cold winter weather should be felt with a southerly change expected to bring cooler temperatures to Masterton and snow to the Rimutaka Hill, he said.

"It's going to be much colder and the showers will become persistent. It will be unsettled and definitely much, much cooler with a polar blast," he said.

However, there will be the odd bright periods as the sun tries to make an appearance through the winter cloud, he said.

Temperatures should reach 9C on Thursday and drop to 8C Friday.

And the weekend doesn't look like it will be any warmer or less wet.

"It's going to be unsettled for most of the weekend with the odd showers hanging around ... overall we're in for a week of unsettled weather ... [this] cold snap is a reminder that we're approaching the middle of winter."

As for next week, expect a bit of the same.

For more information go to www.metservice.com.