Mount Cook airport recorded a freezing -10C at 6am this morning, according to MetService, as a cold snap continues to bite across the country.
Temperatures plummeted earlier this week and have continued to stay cold across the country, prompting some traffic chaos in Dunedin and rare snow flurries in Wellington.
Yesterday Transpower said it was keeping a close eye on the situation, saying it did not anticipate any impact to electricity supply and New Zealanders did not need to take any action.
This morning, MetService meteorologist Maddy Neal told 1News that Mount Cook airport recorded a low of –10C at 6am.
She said Pukaki Airport recorded –9C at that time.
"Alexandra got down to –8C as of 6am this morning, and Christchurch got down to –3.7C as of 6am this morning."
Tourist hotspot Queenstown recorded –5.2C.
Invercargill recorded –5.3C, which was their coldest recorded temperature this year.
Neal said there were also “very cold temperatures across the North Island today”.
Auckland Airport this morning got down to 2.5C.
Hamilton Airport recorded –2.4C at 5am.
“Wellington was a bit warmer, we only got down to a minimum of 7.8C this morning,” she said.
“There's been a little bit of cloud about, so that has kept that wee bit warmer.”
Taupō recorded –5.8C, and Palmerston North got down to –2.8C.
Looking ahead into Friday morning, Neal said there would likely be “frost for most parts of the North Island tomorrow morning and also the South Island too.
“Hamilton and Te Kuiti are looking like some of the coldest for the North Island at –5C being forecast for tomorrow morning.
“Also the likes of Dannevirke and Masterton and the Wairarapa also looking very cold.”
Drivers were urged to slow down, drive to the conditions and watch out for black ice.
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