While snow, hail, gales and below zero wind chills might sound like winter the weather is anything but wintry just yet says WeatherWatch.co.nz.

The weather news authority says despite the recent cold snap Autumn is all about cold days and warm ones.

“Many people across New Zealand have enjoyed an Indian Summer this year which ended on Saturday in our view, but that doesn’t mean the warm weather is completely finished” says head weather analyst Philip Duncan.

As predicted last week by WeatherWatch.co.nz a new high is expected to roll in for this coming weekend bringing colder nights but a return to warmer days with lighter winds.  “As that high moves to our east early next week the wind flow behind it will be a warm northerly for many places, so highs may again climb back into the low 20s”.

With La Nina fading the persistent north easterlies are also expected to fade, but with no La Nina or El Nino for winter it means we could have a real mixture of warm weather and cold weather over the coming months.

Winter starts officially in two weeks time, although a number of people don’t consider it truly starting until the winter solstice on June 22nd.  Either way there’s no suggestion that winter is about to set in across New Zealand this month.

“Autumn is the transition season…it starts off with more warm, dry, days then wet, cold ones…but by the end of the season that pattern reverses.  We’re probably, overall, still on the side that has more warm, dry days than wet cold ones each week despite being so close to the start of winter”.

But Mr Duncan says winter-like weather has already surfaced in Tasmania, Victoria, ACT and NSW in Australia.  “Winter is definitely brewing around us”.

Image / Mt Cook under passing rain and snow showers on Saturday / Elspeth Nicoll

– WeatherWatch.co.nz