Near-freezing temperatures have chilled Auckland overnight with the airport recording its coldest temperature of the year.
And electricity use across the country skyrocketed.
Transpower said New Zealanders used the second-largest amount of power at peak time ever yesterday.
MetService meteorologist Claire O’Connor said Auckland Airport dropped to 2.5C, well below the average temperature for the month.
“The average minimum in August at the airport is 7.5C.”
O’Connor said temperatures across Auckland were chilly and everyone would have felt it.
“Stations in Auckland at 8am recorded the coldest temperature of 0.4C in Ardmore near Papakura and Whenuapai was at 1.1C.”
She said some residents in colder suburbs would have seen frost form over the ground.
This morning those with vehicles parked out in the open woke to find ice formed over windscreens.
However, temperatures closer to the city were warmer with Bastion Pt at 6.2C and Mangere Bridge at 5.0C.
“So if you felt cold overnight, see what you can do tonight with the extra blankets for tomorrow morning,” she said.
Last night was NZ’s second-highest electricity demand peak on record, a Transpower spokesperson said.
“The half-hour average electricity use peaked at 7122 Mega Watts at 6pm nationally yesterday.
“With North Island peaking at 4907 MWe and South Island at 2230 MWe.”
This morning the North Island’s central plateau remained under a road snow warning with more snow expected to fall today.
Up to 3cm of snow was expected to fall on the Desert Rd between 7am and noon. Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said the road remained closed between Rangipo and Waiouru due to the snow.
State Highways 4 and 47 were also closed with a flipped truck on SH47 National Park to Tūrangi, while SH4 Tohunga Junction to Manunui was closed since 3:30am due to a truck crash. Nobody was injured in either crash, police said.
Two cars have also collided on State Highway 3 near Urenui this morning in what police have called a “serious crash”.
In Wellington, snow closed State Highway 2 Remutaka Hill last night from 10pm to 11.20 pm, Waka Kotahi NZTA said.
“Winter driving conditions apply and we continue to urge drivers to take extra care on roads across the region this morning.”
A social media post from Urenui School warned of “very slippery” black ice on the bridge.
Nearby New Plymouth reached -0.5C last night, which MetService’s Wotherspoon said was unusually cold for the area.
The coldest settlement in the country was St Arnaud in Nelson Lakes, with the tiny alpine village seeing -5C overnight, while Tekapo got down to -3.3C.
However, Wotherspoon said temperatures in the South Island were quite normal for this time of year, whereas the North Island’s chill was unusual.
Akula Sharma is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2022. She has previously worked at the Gisborne Herald.
