Weather: Cold start for most, but a sunny Friday for top half of the country

It was a chilly start for many early this morning, but a sunny Friday for much of the North Island will end off the working week in style.

Aucklanders up for an early start would have felt the bite of the cold - particularly if you were in Ardmore, south of the city, which recorded a temperature of 4.9C at 5am.

MetService duty forecaster Larissa Marintchenko said: "It's cold, but it's not freezing in Auckland.

"Maybe sheltered places will see the drop in temperature and it will be quite cold overnight, but otherwise fine."

Temperatures got slightly warmer by the time the sun was rising just before 7am, with 6.9C recorded west of the city in Whenuapai.

It was 10.4C at Auckland Airport by that time and 8.1C in Whangaparāoa.

A high of 15C is forecast in the City of Sails today and an overnight low of 5C will mean for more blankets tonight.

People around the city can expect a mostly fine day. However, there will be showers for a time from late afternoon - possibly heavy.

Southwesterly winds are also on the forecast this evening.

Friday's emojicast:

🌦
🌤
🌦🌦
🌤🌤🌤🌤
🌤🌤🌤🌧
🌦🌤🌧
🌦🌧
🌦

☀️🌦
☀️🌧
☀️🌦🌦 🌤
☀️🌦
☀️🌤🌤
🌦🌤🌦
🌤

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) September 10, 2020

Those in Hamilton and around other parts of the Waikato also got a cold start in the early hours of this morning - with 3.9C recorded at 4am and 4.3C just before 7am.

Further south, Blenheim was sitting on -0.5C early this morning with Hokitika on 1.2C, while Invercargill recorded a temperature of 1.4C.

Northland warmest place to be today

The warmest place to be today will be in and around Northland - including Kaitaia and Kerikeri, as well as the Bay of Plenty - where a high of up to 16C is on the cards.

People in Gisborne, Hawke's Bay and Taihape are in for showers and some are expected to be heavy. Hail is also expected from this afternoon and snow lowering to 800m.

Similar conditions are forecast for southern Taranaki to Wellington, as well as in Wairarapa.

Further south, Marlborough is in for a fine day apart from some isolated showers about Marlborough.

Very unstable showery conditions continue to affect eastern parts of the South Island and the lower North Island this morning in the strong, cold southerly outbreak. The showers may be heavier and laced with hail at times around midday. See more at https://t.co/prKU7O2R01.^AB pic.twitter.com/tYeMRypujS

— MetService (@MetService) September 10, 2020

Those in Canterbury and the Kaikoura Coast can expect showers too - with snow to about 600m that will gradually clear from the south during the day.

Otago and Southland are also in for some early morning showers before clearing quickly and becoming fine.

Road snowfall warnings:

Weather and road authorities are also warning motorists to keep an eye on road updates as there are some road snowfall warnings in place around the country.

The Napier-Taupō Rd (State Highway 5) is expected to get between 1cm to 2cm of snow near the summit between 7am and 10am today and a further 1cm to 3cm of snow is set to accumulate again near the summit from 2pm to 2am tomorrow.

Desert Rd (SH1) is also affected by snow showers today and 1cm to 2cm of snow is forecast to settle on the road above 800m about and south of the summit.

Lewis Pass (SH7) has a warning for "possible" snow showers from 7am to 2pm about and east of the summit above 600m.

Porters Pass (SH73) will also be affected between 7am and 1pm, when between 2cm to 3cm of snow may settle on the road above 600m.