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Inhabitants of the Southern Isles should prepare for more snow and freezing temperatures this week, as cold air is drawn from the Southern Ocean and spread across the country.
Meanwhile, the Auckland Harbor Bridge had reopened after being closed to traffic for some time Tuesday morning as strong winds whipped over the top of the country.
MetService forecasts more snow to 400 meters on the Banks Peninsula on Tuesday, with large accumulations expected above 300 meters in Fiordland, Southland and Clutha, snow showers in the interior of Otago and some snow above 200 meters at the start at Buller and Westland. In parts of the North Island, snow could fall as high as 700 m.
NZTA warned drivers to be careful on Desert Road early Tuesday due to snow and high winds. The Lewis Crossing and State Highway 7 between Springs Junction and Reefton were closed for snow early Tuesday, and caution was requested on some other South Island routes due to snow, including SH1 north of Dunedin and SH73 at Arthur’s Pass.
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MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said winds remained strong in the Auckland region around 6.30am Tuesday, but were forecast to ease during the day. At Auckland Airport, the average wind speed for one hour until 6:30 AM. M. It was 43 km / h and it had been around 40 km / h overnight.
Barry harcourt
More snow is expected on the South Island this week, like this blizzard that caught motorists at Gorge Hill near Te Anau on Monday.
The strongest wind for Tuesday is expected in Hawke’s Bay south of Hastings and the Tararua district, where gusts could reach 120 km / h in exposed locations. Dunedin and Clutha could also have strong winds until mid-afternoon.
On Tuesday morning, Southland Mayor Gary Tong said he had been in the region for 39 years and had never seen hurricane-force winds come and go in the same way before.
“It is real snow and hail,” Tong told Radio NZ.
“It’s certainly having an effect on our livestock (calves and lambs) and our crops that have just been planted,” Tong said, although he noted that farmers had a good warning of bad weather and had prepared and moved livestock where they could. .
“It’s usually the first week in September that we have a bit of a belt, but having it near the end is quite unusual and, as I say, the wind is extreme.”
Christchurch dipped to -1.5 degrees Celsius overnight, compared to the average 4.5 ° C for this time of year, while Wānaka dropped to -2.7 ° C and Blenheim hit 1.8 ° C , slightly warmer than the freezing forecast of -3 ° C.
Barry Harcourt / Stuff
Traffic was caught in snow at Gorge Hill near Te Anau on Monday.
Temperatures were expected to drop across the South Island on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, but warm temperatures would return later in the week, MetService forecaster Sonja Farmer said.
“It will be a big change in temperatures and weather conditions.”
Once the cold weather passes, warmer temperatures will return with Christchurch forecast for a high of 23 ° C on Saturday.
She said the erratic weather conditions were being caused by a low pressure weather system below the South Island.
“The low in the south is drawing cold air from the Southern Ocean and then sweeping across the country. There are many fronts that bring rain, wind and cold air. “
A cold change from the southwest hit the South Island Monday afternoon, with wind speeds of about 87 kilometers per hour recorded at Port Hills around 4 p.m. Monday.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said the front that brought snow to parts of Southland and Queenstown Lakes on Monday morning reached the top of the South Island at 2 p.m.
The snowstorm caused the cancellation of flights and interrupted the electoral campaign. Labor leader Jacinda Ardern was stranded in Invercargill when the airport closed, so she drove to Dunedin to catch a flight from there.
Barry harcourt
Ewes and young lambs weathered the snow at low levels in Southland.
Queenstown and Invercargill airports resumed flights Monday afternoon.
Cardrona ski field general manager Bridget Legnasky said about 16 inches of fresh snow had fallen on the field near Wānaka on Monday and there could be more.
Remarkables ski area manager Ross Lawrence said about 20 inches of new snow fell on the field in the past 36 hours, and he expected more.
Canterbury’s Mt Hutt Ski Area Manager James McKenzie said the mountain had had about 4 inches of fresh snow on Monday.
