© GEORGE EMPSON
Tekapo, South Island was cut off by snow last month.
It may have been warm overnight this week, but New Zealand is currently experiencing its coldest winter since 2009.
MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths said
not only has it been cold, the main centres have also experienced more rain than last year, with Christchurch sitting at 134 per cent of its usual rainfall at 551mm compared with 411mm.
However, just to confuse people even more - especially in eastern parts of the country - temperatures are expected to hit 18 degrees, even 20 degrees in Napier, this weekend.
"It has been enormously wet and cold, it's been a crappy year, basically.
It's an unusual and extremely volatile year."
She said most towns were "running quite cool bar this recent four or five day warm blip".
"The temperatures for the first 60 per cent of the year, 220 days, Christchurch is running a full degree and a half cooler than this time last year. That might not sound much but actually when you get a year when it's 1 degree above the long term average you're almost into record territory."
Wellington and Auckland were each running 1 degree colder than last year.
"It may not sound like much, but it's very significant difference over a seven-month time period."
Last year was one of the warmest winters in New Zealand with June 2016 the third warmest June on record.
Comment: