Snow way! Snowfall warning for Desert Rd, Napier-Taupō Rd closed

Mt Tarawera is snow capped this morning with warnings in place and highways closed in the central North Island.

A rapidly deepening low could bring heavy snow and severe gales for parts of central and northern New Zealand.

The Desert Rd closed at 1.30am today with MetService issuing a road snowfall warning in place until 11pm. State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō is also closed due to snowfall this morning.

Roz Anderson captured a spectacular early morning photo of Mt Tarawera from Coastlands in the Bay of Plenty this morning and a number of weather-related power outages have affected Rotorua, forcing the closure of one high school.

Roz Anderson captured this spectacular early morning photo of Mt Tarawera from Coastlands in the Bay of Plenty this morning. Photo / Roz Anderson

Today's forecast is for snow, with some heavy falls from Sunday night through to Monday evening with 20 to 30cm of snow expected to accumulate on the road.

Snow showers may continue through to Tuesday morning and the warning is likely to be extended, MetService says.

Snow is falling in Ohakune on Monday morning. Photo / Lewis Rodgers

A spokeswoman for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said the road was closed at 7am because of the snowy conditions on the road.

There were "stuck vehicles" on the road and contractors were on their way to help them, she said.

UPDATE 7:05AM, MON 9 AUG
Contractors have confirmed that the following are #CLOSED. Please avoid travelling as detours are only via New Plymouth or Gisborne.#CLOSED
• SH1 Taihape to Rangipo
• SH4 Ohakune to National Park
• SH5 Taupo to Napier
• SH49 Ohakune to Waiouru pic.twitter.com/pBFcE3emph

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Central North Island (@WakaKotahiCNI) August 8, 2021

Snow had earlier closed State Highway 1, the Desert Rd, about 1.30am.

A heavy snow warning is in place for Gisborne, with the warning officially being categorised as an "orange" alert by the local district council.

"Heavy snow may disrupt travel in affected areas and could damage trees and powerlines," the Gisborne District Council said early this morning.

Snow is forecast to affect the road this morning down to 200m, with heavy snowfalls above 500m.

Expect 5 to 10cm of snow to accumulate near the summit of the road with lesser amounts down to 200m.

The forecast for Rotorua today is for the odd shower, clearing this morning and becoming fine with cold southwesterlies. The predicted high is 9C and the low 0C.

Tauranga residents can expect a few showers, clearing this morning and becoming fine. There are cold southwesterlies, becoming gusty in the afternoon. The high is 12C and the low 3C.