Below average temperatures ushered in the month of June this week – in sharp contrast to 12 months ago, which was the warmest June on record in New Zealand.

MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths says while there will be weekly variations in temperatures, swinging between average and below average, the first and last weeks of June look particularly cold across large parts of the country.

It's time to pack the scarves and gloves as you head out this winter. Photo: File.

Over the last month, El Nino has strengthened in the tropics, reaching levels not seen since 1997/98.

The latest climate models predict a high chance (80-90 per cent) that El Nino will continue through the rest of 2015.

'Seas in the New Zealand region are cooling off faster than usual,” says Georgina, 'which is consistent with changes we typically see here during an El Nino winter.

'Sea temperatures are important for us, because to a certain extent, they influence air temperatures in our coastal regions.”

During the first week of June, a major low has rolled across the country, bringing significant precipitation and strong winds to many parts of New Zealand.

'June starts pretty wet and wild, with the risk of extreme rain or snow in the mix,” she adds.

'But, as the month progresses, the weather is likely to settle back to more typical early-winter patterns.”

Rainfall for the remainder of the month looks closer to normal levels for western regions, but normal-to-below normal for the north and east of both Islands.