Much of the country shivered in sub-zero temperatures on Thursday morning with Ōmārama and Middlemarch the coldest.
A frosty morning at The Terrace School in Alexandra where it was -7C on Thursday. Photo: Supplied
MetService said Middlemarch, in Otago, was the coldest in the country at -10.6C and temperatures were close to -10C in the Canterbury town of Ōmārama.
Most of the South Island was at below zero temperatures, with Queenstown and Ashburton on -4C, Timaru -3C and Christchurch -2C at 6am.
Dunedin Airport broke its record for the coldest day in June, with the temperature at -8.6C. There were delays for two flights travelling into the airport Christchurch and Wellington, and some flights by smaller aircraft were cancelled and replaced with larger planes, a spokesperson said.
In the Otago region, six vehicles slid on icy roads overnight and in the morning, including a van which went off the road and into the river at Waipori Falls. The driver wasn't injured and the van was caught in trees, police said.
The Dunedin airport has just broken it's record for the coldest day in June. Since records began in 1972, the -8.6C recorded this morning is the coldest June temperature. ^KL pic.twitter.com/PoeVYRxOJh
— MetService (@MetService) June 22, 2022
Thursday was the coldest day recorded by MetService so far in 2022.
But Stewart Island was on a relatively balmy 8C at 6am - the same as Napier and two degrees warmer than Auckland at 6C.
In the North Island, ten places were below zero degrees, with Raetihi in the central North Island the coldest at -4.4C.
The week has been dominated by high pressure, clear skies, and cold temperatures but MetService is forecasting a change in weather patterns for the weekend.
"There will be some slightly milder temperatures for the weekend," meteorologist Angus Hines said.
Cloudier skies and wetter weather return from the west later Friday and swing across the country during Saturday.
Matariki stargazing
Friday is likely to be the best chance over the long weekend for stargazers to see Matariki and Puanga in the early morning sky.
"Central and eastern parts of both islands ought to get a fairly clear view of the stars before sunrise," Hines said.
But along the West Coast, and for the upper North Island, cloud cover may spoil the view."
Cloud is expected to extend over many other regions during Friday, making the early hours likely to be the best viewing.
Sunday sees the return of some drier and brighter weather for most of Aotearoa New Zealand but still with some showers remaining for the west of the North Island, MetService says.
