Snow, wind, lightning and rain: New Zealand's Summer that feels like Autumn 20 Jan, 2021 01:38 AM 2 minutes to read The weather has turned Autumnal, with lower temperatures and thundery showers across the country. Image / MetService The weather has turned Autumnal, with lower temperatures and thundery showers across the country. Image / MetService NZ Herald An overnight wintry blast with hundreds of lightning strikes and hurricane-strength winds has left southern alpine skifields coated in a fresh dusting of unseasonal snow and people piling on layers of clothing. As Mother Nature hits pause on summer, temperatures across the country have dropped up to 10 degrees lower than last week for some places.