In Wellington, where snow was forecast down to 600 metres, frequent and heavy hail was forecast with a high of 11C. MetService forecast a fine day for Christchurch and a 10C high.
Snow was forecast above 300m in Dunedin, falling as showers closer to sea level, and a high of 7C. MetService warned the southern city’s daily highs wouldn’t hit double digits until Friday.
MetService said the temperatures were “on the cold side, even for this time of year”.
Thursday was expected to be the coldest day of the week, MetService meteorologist Jessie Owen said.
“Sub-zero lows are expected for much of the South Island, while large parts of the North Island can expect lows in the range of -2 to 3C,” Owen said.
“This will make for some frosty mornings so ensure you rug up warm for your morning commutes, and remember to take some extra time to defrost your windscreens before heading out.”
Owen blamed frosty conditions on an unsettled southwesterly flow with several fronts.
“[That flow is] bringing a continuous influx of cold air from the south,” he said.
The first heavy snow watch begins at 9am Wednesday for Otago south of Queenstown and Mosgiel, Fiordland and Southland. It ends at 6pm, with the heaviest falls likely above 400m.
For inland Canterbury south of Arthurs Pass, a heavy snow watch begins at 4pm Wednesday and ends at 1am Thursday. In Buller and western parts of Tasman, a watch lasts from 11pm Wednesday until 9am Thursday.
MetService issued snow road warnings for the Lewis Pass, State Highway 7, Arthurs and Porters Pass, SH73, the Haast Pass, SH6, Lindis Pass, SH8, the Crown Range Rd, Milford Rd, SH94, and the Dunedin-Waitati Highway, SH1.
The first warning comes online at 2am Wednesday morning on the Milford Rd. The warnings lapse by 8am Thursday at the latest.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
