Snow to lash the South Island while heavy rain hits eastern North Island

Friday, 9 August 2019

People heading to the South Island high country this weekend may want to wrap up warm and pack the chains for their cars – half a metre of snow is expected to fall in some areas.

Heavy dumps are expected on high ground across a wide swathe of Canterbury and North Otago, with snow likely to accumulate down to 300 metres.

Motorists crossing the high passes of the South Island are warned that significant snowfalls are likely to cover roads, up to 50cm in some places on Saturday.

Wild weather at lower levels is also likely in other parts of the country, with MetService issuing warnings of heavy rain in Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty area for Friday, the Tararua Range near Masterton from Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening and for parts of Otago and Canterbury for the entire weekend.

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* How do forecasters predict snowfall?

* Warm air delivers snow dump**

It comes a week after snow settled on beaches near Greymouth for the first time in more than a decade, triggering scenes of delight among residents who had not seen snow at sea level for years.

There were similar scenes in Invercargill, where youngsters took great care in crafting carrot-nosed snowmen families.

The bad weather this weekend is the result of a low pressure system passing over from the Tasman Sea before moving away to the east early next week.

It is expected to bring rain to many parts of the country, triggering warnings from the MetService.

Heavy snow will fall on inland Canterbury areas above 500m north of the Rangitata River for 24 hours from 10am on Saturday, forecasters believe, while Christchurch will be lashed with rain.

Similar forecasts have been issued for Dunedin and Central Otago. 

NZ Transport Agency is urging motorists to take care while driving the high passes of the South Island on Saturday.

Half a metre of snow could settle on the Arthur's Pass road above 500m, with up to 40cm likely in Porters Pass.

The Crown Range Rd and the Lewis, Lindis and Haast passes are also likely to get a good dusting, while the road between Te Anau and Milford has also been closed between Hollyford and Chasm because of the risk of avalanche.

Warnings of heavy rain in northern and eastern parts of Northland have been lifted, as has a similar threat for Fiordland.