KEY POINTS:
It was the coldest night of the year so far for many parts of the country, and temperatures have only climbed slowly through the day.
Radio network weather analyst Philip Duncan said clear skies allowed polar air from the weekend's storm to settle and freeze overnight.
Timaru and Queenstown were shivering on -6 degrees at 7.30 this morning.
West Auckland was 1C, while Hamilton, Taupo and Blenheim were -3.
In Wanaka and Lumsden it was -5.
At noon today, the temperatures in the main centres had risen to just 10C in Auckland, 9C in Wellington, 7C in Christchurch and 5C in Dunedin.
The wind chill was also making it feel a few degrees cooler.
Severe frosts are expected again tonight in many areas, possibly as far north as Rotorua.
Warmer temperatures are on the way for the country this weekend especially in the north.
- NEWSTALK ZB, NZHERALD STAFF
