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Flurries of snow, hail and sleet have fallen in parts of Southland and western Otago and thunder rumbled around the hills near Gore.
A cold front made its way into the country on Wednesday, and MetService issued road snow warnings for Arthur’s Pass, Lewis Pass and Porters Pass in Canterbury, and for Desert Road and Napier Road on the North Island overnight.
MetService predicted snow at 400 meters in Southland and Dunedin on Wednesday, and 500 meters from Wednesday night through Thursday for Canterbury High Country and Banks Peninsula.
No advisories had been issued for Southland or Otago, except for a lightning storm warning with small hail for eastern Southland, Clutha and Dunedin on Wednesday afternoon.
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Rachael Kelly / Stuff
Southland has been battered by thunderstorms, flurries and hail on Wednesday. (file photo)
The snow that had fallen in Southland only settled on the hills.
The weather is expected to clear overnight with frosts bringing freezing temperatures to many places on Thursday morning, before a good day.
On Friday, a front preceded by strong north-northwest winds is forecast to move over southern New Zealand from the southwest, bringing heavy rain to the west coast and north-west winds will increase to strong gales in exposed parts of Fiordland, Clutha, Southland and Stewart Island.
