Widespread frosts across the country

There are widespread frosts across New Zealand this morning as the cold weather continues.

As of 7:15am temperatures as far north as the Bay of Islands were hovering around 1 degrees.

It is all due to a weak front that passed over yesterday.

A cold front passed through early yesterday morning bringing a few showers. Once that front passed winds turned to cooler southerlies and overnight those winds eased allowed the cold air to settle freezing the dew and making frosts.

West Auckland was as cold as Waiouru this morning with -1 being recorded. Across Waikato and Canterbury it's dropped to -2, -3 in Taupo and Queenstown and zero's "right across the country in many towns.

In Wellington it's relatively mild with a gentle northerly lifting the temperature to 9 degrees.

We can't say for sure that this sets the standard for weather this winter, however the fact that frosts are being recorded so far north so early is possibly a sign we might see some much bigger frosts over the next few months.

A significant cold snap is on the way this weekend, with snow and gales forecast to arrive Saturday in the South Island.

Philip Duncan

 For more information see the Newstalk ZB weather website or the NZ Herald weather section.