Winter's last blast?

This weekend New Zealand will get what may be one last taste of winter,before a settling ridge of high pressure moves in early next week.  Snow,  rain, gales and severe frosts are all on the cards as a strong southwest  flow sets the country shivering during the first few days of Spring.  "Although these unsettled conditions are not unusual for Spring," commented  Meteorologist Tom Adams, "a lot of people will feel like it's still Winter this weekend."

Now that this week's main rain-bearing trough has moved off to the east, a series of fronts travel up the country in a strengthening south westerly  flow, drawing up colder air from a long way south.  These fronts will bring  periods of rain and showers as they pass, falling as snow to very low  levels in some places as the temperature plummets. A low from the north  also joins the mix, scraping past the far north of the country in the early  hours of Saturday morning and bringing a period of rain.  On Monday a ridge  spreads in from the west, bringing clearing skies for most and severe  frosts for those in the far south as well as to inland places.

For the South Island, Saturday is expected to deliver fresh snow to the foothills, falling to near sea level in the far south.  On Father's Day  the snow reaches the North Island high country and, as the winds turn more  southerly still, severe gales are possible about the east coast of the  South Island.  Low temperatures, combined with wind chill associated with  these gale southerlies, will bring significant added stress to new-born  livestock.

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