Much of the country is experiencing unseasonably cold weather today, with parts of the South Island up to 6degC below average, but things are expected to warm up by the weekend.
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said a lot of the South Island was below the average for January, with Queenstown and Wanaka standing out at 6degC below on highs of 15degC and 17degC today.
"We've got quite a strong southwesterly flow and that's bringing some colder temperatures, and even with that you've got to also think about wind chill," he said.
Wanaka's coldest January day last year had a high of 21degC, although Queenstown did experience a chilly 16degC day.
"Even though it is cold, it's not as though it's never happened before," Ferris said.
Last summer was also particularly warm, with many cities experiencing record highs.
The chill was being experienced right across the country, with Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all experiencing temperatures 4degC below the January average.
The heat was expected to return by the weekend however, with Ferris saying the MetService predicted Christchurch would get back up to a high of 27degC by Saturday.
"Once we move into the weekend the whole country is looking to warm up."
Ferris said people on the southeast coast of the South Island could expect weekend temperatures to rise by about 10degC from what they were today.
Dunedin was expected to reach just 15degC today. Though rain was forecast for the city at the weekend, it'll be warm with highs of 25degC on Saturday and 20degC on Sunday.
The southwesterlies also brought strong winds over the past couple of days, particularly to Otago, Southland and the southern North Island, which led to power cuts.
