New Zealand is going through freezing period as a "cold snap" strikes with strong winds, snow and showers.
"We have a colder surge of air heading northwards today with windier south to south west winds bringing in showers to sea level and snow to the mountains," WeatherWatch says.
"Parts of northern Southland and central Otago do have a chance of single-digit daytime highs on Sunday, which is below average."
Cooler temperatures have already seen places in the South Island drop below freezing overnight.
"Places at higher elevation in the South Island have been dropping well below 0C, with a ski field reporting as low as -9C, and more populated areas such as Pukaki and Tekapo dropping to about -2C or -3C over the last few days," says MetService meteorologist Kyle Lee.
MetService says a ridge of high pressure is building in the Tasman Sea, which will bring more settled weather and cooler temperatures. This cooler air flow will be more noticeable overnight Sunday and into Monday morning as winds ease further, meaning the colder air can sink and settle better.
"Overnight temperatures are likely to continue to drop below 0C with frosts possible for many inland spots as we expect clearer skies over the next few days," Lee says.
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