Wakatipu weather forecaster David Crow, who had 60mm of snow lying around his Arthurs Point house, said it was the first time he had seen snow so low in November during the 46 years he had lived in the district.
The "Antarctic outbreak" was more like August weather, he added.
"It's unprecedented."
Alexandra weather watcher Jolyon Manning said snowfalls in November were uncommon and it was "quite unusual" to have snow on the ground in Cromwell at this time of year.
Queenstown airport duty manager Hussein Rawlings said low cloud and snow meant airport operations were limited all day, causing the cancellation of some flights and postponement of others.
"Snow was falling so thickly during the day, it was just like winter."
Despite the interruptions to flight schedules, and people being bused 10 hours through Oamaru on their way to and from Christchurch after the Lindis Pass was closed because of a chemical spill, the mood among passengers was "very accepting", Mr Rawlings added.
With the air temperature 1.2degC at Arthurs Point at 9am yesterday, Mr Crow was predicting much colder conditions as cloud cleared tonight and tomorrow.
"We could get some record-breaking frosts."
Gibbston vineyard owner Grant Taylor welcomed the extra moisture yesterday's snow brought, saying most vineyards in the valley now had wind machines which gave frost protection.
He said if the clouds cleared and wind dropped, vineyards would be in danger of frosts with the cooler temperatures.
A gale-force southerly squall which ripped through the Upper Clutha about lunchtime downed trees and cut power to parts of Wanaka and Lake Hawea.
A tree brought down by high winds at Domain Rd, Lake Hawea, cut electricity to the township until Delta contractors restored power a few hours later.
A huge poplar crashed into power lines at Mt Barker, near Wanaka, causing a power outage and cutting road access for residents and building contractors.
However, the road block and power outage did not deter determined builders from David Reid Homes, who brought in a generator to ensure their contractors were able to continue work on a house for Mt Barker Rd resident Chris Thomson.
Contractor clean-up crews were also kept busy repairing blown-over fences and collecting broken branches and debris which littered streets and farm roads.
The late spring storm brought snow on Tuesday night to almost lake level around Wanaka and Hawea.
Intermittent snow, sleet, and hail showers alternated with patches of sunshine and fine weather throughout yesterday, while strong winds remained a constant presence.
