Weather: Icy blast sweeps up country; snow flurries in Taupō and near Wellington; strong wind slows traffic on Harbour Bridge

WEATHER LATEST
* Go slow on Auckland's Harbour Bridge as strong wind gusts sweep through Super City
* Brief snow flurry as far north as Taupō in the late morning
* Snowfall in Dunedin and flurries in Wellington - some roads closed by snow and ice
* Polar blast sweeps north - Desert Rd in North Island closed
* October snow in Christchurch for the first time in 53 years
* Auckland feels the chill - with single-digit early morning temperatures and rain, winds forecast

An icy blast is making its way up the North Island, spreading snow flurries north of Wellington and icy falls in Taranaki.

Excitement gripped Auckland's CBD as what looked like snow flurries lasted all of a minute about 1.20pm. MetService quelled any elation: "Considering temperatures in Auckland are in double digits, it is unlikely to be snow, there could be icy snow forming in the upper atmosphere, but as it falls it warms it turns to rain."

Taupō resident Hespar Tahau had only seen snow fall in the region four times, and she said this morning's flurry only lasted five minutes.

Christchurch experienced its first October snowfall in more than 50 years, while the sea-level suburb of Kilbirnie in Wellington got a dusting of snow.

Snow flurries have also been reported further north in Wellington, with the Remutaka Hill Rd affected.

Auckland hit an unseasonably chilly 11.5C by mid-morning and won't get much warmer, with a high of only 13C forecast. Strong winds have reduced speeds on Auckland's Harbour Bridge.

The temperature in Wellington was 4.2C by 8.30am, but had a "feels like" temperature of -1C and locals were advised to wear up to four layers of clothing.

Those in the capital can expect a partly cloudy day with possible morning snow showers mainly about the eastern hills. Cold southerly winds are also forecast and will be strong at first, MetService says.

The Desert Rd in the central North Island is closed, one of a number of state highways and other roads that have been affected by the freezing temperatures and snow.

Snow on a Christchurch playground. Photo / Hamish Clark

The polar blast is causing unseasonal, single-digit temperatures across the South Island and into the North Island today - including Auckland, where the temperature in some parts of the city was 9C at 7am.

The city is forecast to have showers and strong winds in some places and a high of 13C today.

The coldest place in the country early this morning was Te Ānau, where it was a bone-chilling -5.1C.

At least one area broke a record overnight. The temperature at Wānaka Airport dropped to -3C last night - the coldest October minimum temperature since records started in 1992.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW LIVE BLOG:

Motorists warned of black ice

Motorists in the Queenstown area are being advised of black ice and transport authorities are warning people to avoid the roads unless absolutely necessary.

Drivers are told that if they do travel, to slow down as the roads are "like skating rinks".

Anyone driving on the Crown Range is told that chains must be carried, as the area has had fresh snow ploughed and grit is being applied.

Ice is also forming through the Cardrona Valley and along the Crown Range.

Residents in Christchurch have been waking to a wintry wonderland - cars and gardens covered in the white stuff - though not enough to have fully settled on roads.

Shane Neal, who lives in Edgeware, said this was only the second time he'd experienced snow since moving from the North Island.

He awoke early this morning to find his cars and deck blanketed in snow, and said it looks stunning but the conditions "take some adjusting".

"When I took the dogs out in the morning, I realised the deck was like a skating rink.

"It's just about adjusting your speed as you drive your car, walk around outside - it's that much more slippery."

Neal and a friend had returned last night from a trip across Burkes Pass, and he was thankful the roads remained open to complete his journey.

"You couldn't see a blade of green grass yesterday, it was a nerve-racking drive in blizzard conditions but absolutely beautiful."

Snow on New Brighton Beach. Photo / George Heard

MetService has confirmed it is snow - after earlier saying it would need to check if it was snow or graupel, a soft hail.

It is the first time Christchurch has seen October snow since October 10, 1969. At 6.30am the temperature was officially 1.2C in the Garden City, but the MetService reported it as feeling more like -4C outside.

A chilly start for many

Forecasters issued earlier warnings on Wednesday, saying nearly the entire South Island would be hit by bitter cold wind and snow. The freezing temperatures are also sweeping north, with Wellington's Wainuiomata Hill Rd briefly closed by ice last night.

Snow was expected in the South Island from about 6am yesterday until 9am today, with flurries down to sea level in some places.

There is a forecast temperature high of 10C in Christchurch today but this is expected to drop again to an overnight low of 1C.

Christchurch residents have woken up to a light sprinkling of snow. Photo / Hamish Clark

Dunedin's temperature was 0.9C early on, with outside feeling like -3C, MetService said.

A high of 8C and an overnight low of 5C is on the cards in Dunedin. Snow showers are expected to become isolated by this afternoon - turning to rain showers below 400m. Strong southwesterly winds are forecast for the city as well with gales gusting up to 90km/h along the coast.

The snow caused the closure of State Highway 87 northwest of Dunedin early last night. State Highway 1, the Northern Motorway from Dunedin, was also closed late last night.

Between 6cm and 10cm of snow was expected to fall on the motorway between 8pm yesterday and 6pm today.

MetService meteorologist Angus Hines said the snowfall matched what was forecast.

With such a cold atmosphere there was a "really good chance" some roads would be closed due to snow overnight and today.

Snow in Gore this morning. Photo / Luke Howden

The bad weather would affect areas of higher altitude more, such as Central Otago, but there was no region which was expected to be hit worse than others.

The snow had potential to settle, with the two biggest factors being the quantity of snowfall and the temperature of the ground.

UPDATE 6:05AM, THU 6 OCT
Overnight the following roads were CLOSED due to snow:

• SH1 Dunedin to Palmerston - Snow
• SH8 Roxburgh to Alexandra - Snow
• SH75 Little River to Barrys Bay - Snow
• SH85 Kyeburn to Palmerston - Snow
• SH87 Kyeburn to Outram - Snow pic.twitter.com/juRMM7sWvW

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Otago & Southland (@WakaKotahiOS) October 5, 2022

Coming out of winter the ground would be warmer than in previous months, which made snow less likely to settle, but quite a lot of snow was forecasted, he said.

Heavy snow warnings would be in place until at least 9am today for Southland, Stewart Island, Clutha, Dunedin, Central Otago, south of Alexandra, the Southern Lakes District south of Queenstown, and Fiordland from Te Anau southwards.

Road closures and snowfall warnings

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is advising motorists of several road closures overnight due to snow.

State Highway 1 Dunedin to Palmerston, SH8 Roxburgh to Alexandra, SH75 River to Barrys Bay, SH85 Kyeburn to Palmerston and SH87 to Outram are all closed due to snow.

Road snowfall warnings were also in place across the South, including the alpine passes.

- Herald reporters, ODT, RNZ