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Umbrellas will be needed for most of the country this week, with rain, hail and thunder on the way, and a late-season burst of snow for the South Island.

MetService meteorologist Heath Gullery said wintry weather would see temperatures plunge to near freezing in the south, but the rest of the country was set to see some rain in coming days.

“There’s a cold southerly pushing across eastern parts of South Island today which will briefly bring some cooler temperatures today.”

Hail and thunder were possible across the Canterbury coastal plains today, including Christchurch and Banks Peninsula, from late this morning through to mid-afternoon today, Gullery said.

Strong winds were likely to sweep over the country tomorrow as a low developed on the east of the South Island and moved north.

Thursday night would be particularly cold in Queenstown, with temperatures dipping to 1C.

Dunedin and Queenstown would bear the brunt of the cold weather, with highs of 12C on Thursday.

“We’re going for a maximum of 11C in Queenstown on Thursday and a maximum of 14-15C for Christchurch,” Gullery said.

Two road snowfall warnings were now in place for southern roads.

Snow showers were expected on the higher parts of Milford Rd and Crown Range Rd on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with snow accumulating above 800 metres.

For the North Island, Gullery said the cold southerly will be heading to southern regions on Thursday night, moving further north on Friday, and bringing rain.

Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based Multimedia Journalist and breaking news reporter.