A southerly blast, the second one in a week, is today pushing into the North Island after last night bringing snow to Southland, Otago and Canterbury for a time.

Snow even briefly fell to sea level in Dunedin. The main system is now moving into the North Island with rain in the east and showers, some heavy with hail, in the west.

By Friday high pressure returns to NZ with calm conditions in many areas and frosts coming back. Over the weekend the high dominates the North Island while westerlies blow over the South Island.

Next week a high over the South Island may couple with a sub-tropical low north of NZ to produce an easterly flow across the country.