Weekend weather: Low snow levels, scattered downpours and thunderstorms possible
South Island drivers have been urged to take care on the road as cold weather lingers.
The polar blast moving up the country hasn’t closed any state highways, but NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) warnings have been issued for several roads.
State Highway 94/Milford Rd has reopened after being closed due to the risk of snow, but there could be more snowfall and heavy machinery will be operating on the road.
NZTA has issued warnings for the following roads:
- State Highway 8, Tarras to Omarama (Lindis Pass), due to snow and ice/winter driving conditions
- State Highway 87, Kyeburn to Outram, due to winter driving conditions
- State Highway 85, Kyeburn to Palmerston, due to winter driving conditions
- State Highway 1, Palmerston to Dunedin, due to winter driving conditions
- State Highway 80, Aoraki-Mount Cook to Glentanner, due to ice and grit
- State Highway 73, Otira to Yaldhurst, due to ice and grit
Most weather warnings have been lifted by MetService, with snowfall warnings remaining for Lewis Pass (State Highway 7) and the Desert Rd in the North Island.
Taumarunui hit with torrential ran and a quake
Taumarunui and surrounding areas have been hit by torrential downpours overnight, some right when a “severe” 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit.
The combination of a large quake and heavy rain has caused slips to come down, some closing roads, with geotechnical assessments being carried out this morning.
MetService said Taumarunui recorded 48mm of rain in the past 24 hours.
Nearby National Park, south of Taumarunui, received 73mm over 24 hours, peaking at around 10mm an hour.
MetService said showers moving in from the west were markedly heavier around coastal areas overnight, as warmer seas fuelled the downpours.
That led Taharoa, near Kawhia just south of Raglan, to have the biggest overnight falls, recording 24.5mm of rain in a single hour.
‘Pretty grunty’ across the country
MetService said across the country the weather is looking “pretty grunty” this weekend, with sharp winds, localised downpours and scattered thunderstorms possible.
Overnight, west coast regions near Raglan had some of the heaviest falls and storms.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Wellington shortly after 9am, bringing with it the risk of torrential downpours, however, the warning was lifted just before 11am.
Bitter winds are expected to cause temperatures to plummet into single digits for some, while forecasters are warning hail and heavier showers could fall in multiple areas across the North Island.
West of Taupō and into the Bay of Plenty could receive the heaviest falls.
Snow is also tipped to fall as low as 800m on the Desert Rd plateau, with a road snowfall warning in place.
In its latest video update, Niwa says the upper half of the North Island is expected to cop harsh winds.
“The winds, they’re going to be howling, a pretty grunty southwesterly for coastal areas of Northland, Auckland and down through the Waikato and a similar story for those southerlies developing about the Wellington region.”
A strong wind watch is in place for Auckland and Great Barrier Island until 7pm, with drivers being warned that strong, sudden winds could close the Auckland Harbour Bridge intermittently today.
NZTA said it expected wind gusts of up to 75-85km/h between 4am and 11am, before ramping up to speeds of 90-100km/h until 10pm.
“With the potential for sudden and high wind gusts, traffic control measures may be implemented on the bridge including the possibility of short closure periods,” NZTA said.
Niwa said isolated downpours could not be ruled out anywhere in the North Island or upper South Island.
Heavy rain is on the cards for central parts of the North Island, including in the Tararua Range, Taihape and Taupō, as well as Christchurch through Kaikōura and Marlborough.
Snowfall levels are expected to be just a “couple of centimetres” in Otago, including on Milford Rd and Crown Range Pass and north through Lindis Pass.
Eight MetService orange road snowfall warnings are in place across the South Island, while one is in force for the North Island’s Desert Rd, with 1-2cm possible down to around 800 metres.
Meanwhile, 6m swells are forecast for the northwestern coastal areas.