As a result of the snowfall, snow storage in the Waitaki catchment increased to 105% of average, up from 83% last week.
Meridian wholesale general manager Chris Awers said in a statement the snow was "invaluable" to the lakes as the year progressed.
“While rain almost immediately helps increase the level of Lake Pūkaki, all that snow on the mountains above the lake is invaluable later in the year when the temperature heats up and rain becomes less frequent.
"It’s like having another lake.”
Last month, the snow base was just 63% of average — the lowest recorded for that time of year — while it had been as low as 58% of average earlier in the season.
“When it comes to topping up lake levels, snow is just as welcome as rain.”
After being at a historic low a few weeks ago, Lake Pūkaki was now two meters below average and three metres higher than it was at that time.
“While it’s been an immense turnaround, there is still plenty of room for more rain.
"We know it’ll make for a much less enjoyable spring for people, but we’re quietly hoping for a few more spells of snow and rain over the next couple of months.
"Miserable weather makes us very happy.”
Another 70mm-100mm of rain was forecast for the Waitaki catchment this week.
The hydro lakes have been under the microscope after Transpower put forward a proposal allowing generators to access "contingency storage" — stored hydro that is only made available at specific times to mitigate the risk of shortage — much earlier than normal.
