Snow for Desert Rd, Interislander ferries cancelled as polar blast hits country

A dusting of snow is expected to settle on the Desert Rd today and occasional rain and strong winds will hit main centres as the country grapples with a subantarctic blast.

Heavy swells in Cook Strait, meanwhile, have prompted Interislander to cancel all sailings from tonight until Thursday. MetService forecast wave heights up to 6m overnight tonight and issued a heavy swell warning until early tomorrow.

A road snowfall warning was issued for the Desert Rd between 1pm and 7pm today, when 1cm of snow was expected to settle. MetService issued more than a dozen other warnings and watches yesterday, but most were set to lapse late last evening.

Road snowfall warnings are also in place for Lewis Pass, Arthur’s Pass and Porters Pass. Warnings for Crown Range Rd and Milford Rd are expected to begin at 8pm this evening.

In Auckland, meanwhile, MetService forecast a partly cloudy Tuesday with a few isolated showers. The city should reach 15C and fall to 9C overnight.

Wellington has another day of strong northerly winds, but occasional rain should ease to showers in the morning and then clear in the afternoon. A high of 12C was forecast, with a low of 6C.

Strong southwesterlies have been forecast for Christchurch, where cloudy periods were expected to ease in the afternoon. The Garden City was tipped for a 9C high and a 4C low.

The wintry conditions came as a cold front moved in from the west on Monday, with an area of low pressure crossing the South Island.

“By Tuesday and Wednesday all of New Zealand will be colder – and despite some minor fluctuations, the colder subantarctic air may linger into next week for many places too,” WeatherWatch reported.

While the chilliest weather would hit in the south and east of both islands – directly in the path of the mass as it moved off the Southern Ocean – the website expected to see colder air spread right across the country throughout the week.

🌬️ Here's a unique view of the incoming southerly change: the wind arrows are color-coded to the temperature!

After a mild June, the start to July is looking chilly, particularly when the wind is factored in 🐧

The cold air will linger for about a week before easing... pic.twitter.com/WW0E73P74b

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) July 1, 2024

Overnight temperatures were forecast to fall as low as 4C in Auckland on Wednesday – and 0C in Hamilton.

WeatherWatch said snow flurries were also likely about Ohakune, Waiōuru and the Desert Rd today. .

In the South Island, snow was possible on the hilltops around Dunedin and close to the main centres of Southland and Otago.

“Out of all the main centres, Queenstown is most likely to get some snow, with that main chance on Tuesday.”

Over the rest of winter and beyond, however, Niwa’s just-issued three-month outlook has picked near or above-average temperatures in all regions – with fewer winter cold snaps and frosts than normal.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.