Super chilled air that has been dredged up from Antarctica is finally starting to ease over the Deep South this afternoon as cold air spreads over the rest of the nation.

The rare late cold snap comes as a shock to some with the official start of New Zealand’s summer just 3 weeks away.

Snow is still falling in some parts of the lower south east.

Temperatures have started to lift across the Deep South as the worst of the Antarctic air starts to move offshore and out to the east of the South Island.  Snow has today fallen in Invercargill, Dunedin and Queenstown and at most places in between.  Reports of a huge hail storm overnight in Invercargill have also been coming in.

While the true Antarctic air hasn’t made it north of Otago, cold weather is spreading across much of New Zealand with temperatures well down on recent weeks.

Snow this morning in Clinton, South Otago / Gregor Macara, WeatherWatch.co.nz

The cold winds may put a dampener on some fireworks celebrations but overall conditions aren’t expected to be too bad this evening across New Zealand – but it will be chillier than it has been across the entire nation and blustery winds could affect most regions.

Meanwhile another surge of showers is spreading up the West Coast this afternoon.  It will deliver more showers to western areas of both islands for about another 24 hours.  A few isolated showers may also linger into Monday.

Canterbury, despite being closest to Otago, has missed the worst of the cold snap due to the angle of attack – the coldest air has been coming from the west to south west which is a fairly dry and somewhat sheltered wind direction for the region.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz