Weather: Is summer already over for New Zealand?

  • 26/02/2018

New Zealanders face an early end to summer as autumn starts to sink its claws into the country.

A cold front is moving up New Zealand on Monday, bringing with it cloud, drizzle, showers and patchy rain.

While this summer has officially been the hottest on record, temperatures have already started to plummet - leading to chilly nights and cold mornings.

"A cold front moved through the capital as many were making their way to work this morning, [bringing] heavy rain and a drop in temperatures of about 5 degrees!" MetService says on Twitter.

Weather Watch says while colder temperatures start to set in across the nation, a "changeable" forecast over the next week means there's likely to be some heat too.

"[There will be] hints of Autumn for some regions but still hot and even into the 30s for others," it says.

"Temperatures turning significantly cooler in the eastern side of the South Island due to southerly winds. Max temperature in Christchurch is around 17C today and tomorrow but will feel cooler in the wind."

Autumn's wet weather has struck early for the South Island, with parts of Westland, Canterbury, Otago and Fiordland soaked by rain on Sunday.

Newshub.