The sunny start to spring is about to disappear, with a bout of bad weather on the cards for Monday with snow, wind and rain expected to lash the country.
MetService said a low-pressure system is forecast to move across the upper North Island, bringing a period of heavy rain, strong to gale-force winds and heavy snow to many parts of the North Island.
An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Northland, north and east of Kaitaia to Mangawhai until 4pm on Monday, with 70mm of rain expected.
"Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous," MetService warns.
A heavy rain watch is in place for the Coromandel Peninsula, Auckland north of the Harbour Bridge, including Great Barrier Island and Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay, with periods of heavy rain expected to reach warning amounts.
A strong wind watch is in place for Northland, Auckland, Taranaki, eastern parts of Bay of Plenty and Taupo, with severe gale-force winds expected in exposed places.
A heavy snow watch is in place for Gisborne, Hawke's Bay and Taupō, from Mātāwai to the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Forest Parks, with a period of heavy snow above 800 metres.
NIWA said "mother nature has opened the fridge door" with chilly air from Antarctica moving north. It comes as a road snowfall warning is in place for the Napier-Taupo Road (SH5), Desert Road (SH1), Remutaka Hill Road (SH2), Lewis Pass (SH7), Porters Pass (SH73) and Dunedin to Waitati Highway (SH1). Napier-Taupo Road and Desert Road are expected to see 15-20cm of snow.
The expected wild weather on Monday comes after severe gale-force winds for Otago and Southland on Sunday saw shipping containers toppled over at South Port in Bluff, several roofs ripped off houses and widespread power outages.
The strongest wind on Sunday was 127km/h, which was recorded inland at Clarks Junction in Otago.
