Snow on the way for South Island - MetService

Snow, South Island, MetService
The Crown Range is often closed due to snow. (Newshub)

Winter is coming for parts of the South Island, with snow on the horizon.

Cool, crisp temperatures are also on the way for some of the country later in the week as a southwesterly flow blankets the South Island with an Antarctic chill.

MetService say snow is on the cards and expects it to fall to low levels, possibly even sea level, across Southland and Otago late on Thursday and Friday.

The snow is due to come off the back of a low pressure system making its way over the country on Wednesday which may bring some weather warnings.

Snow is also expected to fall in the high country of the North Island, but only to as low as 700m.

The southwesterly will also bring freezing Antarctic air up the country and MetService warns areas that don't get snow could be settling in for a few nippy nights.

The South Island will be littered with some night-time negative temperatures; Queenstown, Wanaka, Alexandra, Timaru, and Christchurch are expected to drop below 0degC over the weekend.

Mt Cook comes off worst with a forecast of -6degC overnight on Saturday.

Parts of the North Island will also need to wrap up warm, with Rotorua and Taumarunui expecting 2degC and 1degC respectively on Sunday.

Tokoroa, Dannevirke, Palmerston North and Masterton will all drop to 3degC over the weekend.

Auckland will survive another day, only dropping to 10degC on Sunday.

Newshub.