MetService confirms no snow in Northland despite sightings amid cold snap

The "snow" spotted on the side of Waipoua Forest Rd. Photo / Stephen Wykes

A sighting of possible snow in Northland sparked quite the flurry of excitement over the weekend.

MetService said while temperatures dipped across the region, it was not cold enough for snowfall.

Waimamaku local Stephen Wykes was heading toward Dargaville on Waipoua Forest Rd on Saturday morning when he and his wife spotted patches of white along the road.

The pair jokingly agreed it looked as though they had been transported to the South Island.

“We said, ‘Oh look, it’s been snowing’.”

Patches of white could be seen along Waipoua Forest Rd early on Saturday morning. Photo / Stephen Wykes

The pair stopped on the side of the road where Wyke’s wife took some photos.

It looked as though melted snow was building up on the side of the road, Wykes said.

It also didn’t appear to be ice that had been dumped either, especially given there were a dozen patches on either side of the road.

Wykes then posted on his local Waimamaku Facebook page.

“It’s cold, snow in Northland,” his post read.

To his amazement, the post garnered over 2000 likes, 300 comments and 250 shares.

“I didn’t think 2000 people would be looking at the Waimamaku Facebook page,” he joked.

Comments on the post marvelled at the sight, while others suggested it was hail.

As it turns out, they were correct.

MetService meteorologist Kgolofelo Dube said that despite a cold front moving up from the South Island, snow had not come with it.

Dube said thunderstorms overnight on Saturday likely came with hail.

Small hail generally didn’t linger on the ground for long, but lower temperatures could mean larger hail had accumulated and remained for longer.

“We did see a dip in temperatures, but not cold enough for snow,” she said.

Temperatures dipped to 3.5C overnight in Ruatangata and into the early morning on Saturday.

And on Sunday, Whangārei dipped to 5.1C, 5.9C in Kerikeri and 8.2C at Cape Rēinga.

The coldest June date on record for Kerikeri since records started in 1978 was in June 1994 when it got to -1.0C.

In Whangārei on that same day, temperatures dipped to -0.1C.

According to Northern Advocate records, history was made in 2011 when a “light dusting” of snow fell atop the Tangihua Ranges.

Old Northern Advocate reports also showed snow fell on July 27, 1939, on the Otaua Hills, about 10 miles from Kaikohe and also on the Taheke-Waimatenui Hills.

“The fall was very slight but was sufficient to be noticeable from roads in the district and did not thaw until late this morning,” the report said.

Dube said Northlanders could expect to see the last of chilly temperatures this week.

“Going into tomorrow , there will be a nice recovery in those minimum temperatures.”

Temperatures in Whangārei should sit around 18C during the day and 20C on Wednesday.

“It should remain relatively warm throughout the week.”

Although warmer temperatures might be welcome news for some, rain was on the horizon.

“We will see another band of showery weather coming in, and it looks like it might be quite unstable with a few thunderstorms as well.”

Showers for Northland were expected tomorrow , Wednesday and into Thursday as well.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.