Heavy rain, ice, and snow are hitting the South Island due to a cold front moving in.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!MetService reported heavy rain overnight along the east coast of the South Island, with snow levels dropping to 400-500 meters above sea level.
By midday on Tuesday, heavy snow warnings were in place for the North and South Canterbury high country regions and the foothills south of the Rangitata River. A strong wind warning was issued for Westland and the Grey District, along with a heavy rain warning for North Otago.
MetService also had a heavy rain watch for the Canterbury Plains, Eastern Marlborough, and Wellington regions.
Late Tuesday morning, MetService extended several snowfall warnings for many South Island highways. Up to 60 centimeters of snow was expected to fall on State Highway 73 at Porters Pass until 9pm the next day, with even more snow higher up. In Lewis Pass, 8-15 centimeters of snow was forecasted to fall by 11pm Wednesday. Arthurs Pass could see up to 10 centimeters of snow near the summit until 6pm Wednesday. Less snow was expected in Lindis Pass, but a snowfall warning remained in place until 3pm. The snowfall warning for the Milford Road was lifted as no further snow was expected there.
Earlier, SH8 between Lake Tekapo and Fairlie was closed due to snow but has since reopened. However, SH80 from Lake Pukaki to Mount Cook remained closed around midday.
Strong Winds
Strong winds were expected in Westland and the Grey District from 9am, with gusts up to 140 km/h later on Tuesday. MetService warned that severe easterly winds could damage trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures. Similar wind warnings were in place for Fiordland until Wednesday morning.
West Coast Civil Defence advised homeowners to secure items on their property.
Several yellow snow watches were issued throughout the South Island, and yellow rain watches were in place for parts of the Bay of Plenty, Tasman, and Taranaki.
Wintry Blast
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane told Morning Report there had been heavy snowfall on Mount Cook overnight. More snow was expected in Southland, Otago, and the Canterbury high country, with Dunedin possibly seeing snow on the hills down to 200 meters.
“Quite a bit of snow, quite a bit of everything really. We expect it to impact people like farmers and road users,” she said.
The North Island should brace for the cold front on Wednesday and Thursday, with potential rain in Hawke’s Bay and Tai Rāwhiti. The cold blast was expected to last most of the week but should clear out of the South Island by late Thursday. The North Island should return to settled conditions by the weekend.
Road Closures
Waka Kotahi NZTA systems manager Mark Pinner said SH8 from Lake Pukaki to Fairlie and SH80 between Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook were closed Wednesday morning due to snow. There was also a chance SH73 might close with up to 50 cm of snow forecasted. Crews were out during the night with de-icers and grit, but drivers should be cautious and check road conditions ahead.
“For drivers, watch those conditions, watch our website. If we need to close the road because we think it’s not safe, then we do close the road,” Pinner said.
Mount Cook Road, the only route in and out of Aoraki, was shut early Tuesday morning. Duty manager at Mount Cook’s Hermitage Hotel, Samira Yeddou, said guests were unable to check out due to the conditions.
“We might provide a late check-out to all the guests, so they can stay in their rooms until one o’clock or two o’clock, and then we can check them out or they can extend their stay. It’s up to them,” Yeddou said.