Motorists are being advised to be aware of potentially difficult driving conditions amid the polar blast that is currently hitting New Zealand.

Temperatures in Tauranga today are not expected to go above 12 degrees, according to MetService, with an overnight low of two degrees.

Elsewhere in the Bay of Plenty, Rotorua can expect lows of -1 degrees overnight with a high of nine throughout the day.

A road snowfall warning remains in place for the Desert Road and Bay of Plenty and Taupo Police are reminding road users to be extra careful out on the roads.

When you combine Tuesday's temperatures and winds, this is what you get.

Better (we think!) than 46.6°C in British Columbia, Canada, yesterday, the country's hottest temperature on record! pic.twitter.com/zNjxznY2WH

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) June 28, 2021

'Please check road status before commencing your journey at www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz and please travel to the road/weather conditions,” says a statement on their Facebook page.

'Watch your speed and following distances. Be patient with other motorists and don't forget to buckle up.”

A polar blast that is currently hitting New Zealand is the cause of these wintry conditions.

Tuesday's temperatures: not even the 'winterless north” will escape the wrath of the polar blast! pic.twitter.com/KC2Ht7bAF7

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) June 28, 2021

Snow flurries were reported to WeatherWatch in Dunedin last night and more snow flurries are expected tonight.

Then colder weather is moving into Canterbury tonight and snow flurries are possible, especially closer to the coast where the showers are more likely. Accumulation is unlikely to be high and the showers are fast-moving, caught up in gale force southerlies.

The gigantic storm south east of NZ is working in tandem with a powerful high-pressure system near Tasmania to produce our cold change. The two powerful air pressure systems are dredging up polar air from Antarctica and directly into New Zealand.