Icy blast means cold week ahead

Oliver Parris Piper enjoying what may be the last of the warm weather on a deserted Waiake Beach on the North Shore yesterday. Photo / Paul Estcourt

After a few days of mild weather, temperatures are set to plummet with blizzard like conditions in the south and a cold snap moving north.

Auckland's daytime high could dip to 11C late tomorrow.

MetService has issued a heavy snow warning for Southland, South Otago and Dunedin.

Forecaster Andy Downs said a bitterly cold southwest flow over the lower South Island was expected to bring snow to areas as low as sea level in parts of southern Fiordland, Southland and Otago today and Tuesday.

"The heaviest snowfalls are expected from this evening through to Tuesday morning, when up to 15cm is likely to accumulate above 200 metres about parts of Southland and South Otago, and especially the Catlins," Mr Downs said.

He said up to 5cm could fall in Dunedin and Invercargill.

Mr Downs said gale force winds could cause blizzard conditions.

Weatherwatch.co.nz head weather analyst and nzherald.co.nz blogger Philip Duncan said the system was due to arrive in the deep south late last night and cross the North Island tomorrow. Southern and eastern parts of the country would be worst affected.

Mr Duncan said snow would fall to low levels in both the North and South Islands but as it was not a very wet system the falls would not be heavy.

"It's not going to be as severe as the last cold snap, but it's going to make for a cold week."

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Skifields should receive a welcome top-up of snow. The alpine passes of the South Island and the Desert Road would be the most likely to close because of the snowfalls. But Mr Duncan said the biggest danger for North Island motorists would be black ice forming on some Central Plateau roads.

The system approaching the country originated very close to Antarctica, Mr Duncan said, and single-digit highs would affect the lower two-thirds of the country early in the week.

The last cold snap to hit the country brought snow as far north as the Kaimai and Coromandel ranges, and heavy frosts to many parts of Auckland.

- With NZHERALD STAFF