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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.
But once the cold weather passes, warmer temperatures will return with Christchurch forecast for a high of 23 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
MetService forecaster Sonja Farmer said more snow would fall on Tuesday, reaching 400 meters on the Banks Peninsula, 300 meters in Canterbury Plains and 200 meters in Otago.
Temperatures will drop across the South Island on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
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* Winter weather is expected to continue through Tuesday after snow and hail in the South Island and Wellington.
Christchurch will drop to -3C, compared to the average of 4.5C for this time of year, while Wānaka will drop to -5C, and Blenheim will hit a frosty -3C.
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.
But Farmer said warm temperatures would return later in the week.
“It will be a big change in temperatures and weather conditions.”
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. “
Barry Harcourt / Stuff
Traffic was caught in snow at Gorge Hill near Te Anau on Monday.
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.
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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.
