More snow for the South

Snow was still falling in Dunedin by mid-afternoon as freezing conditions caused chaos on southern roads this morning. 

• Coming snow to help kick-start season: skifield

• Did it snow at your place? Send your photos to odt.online@odt.co.nz 

A crash in icy conditions on Stuart St in Dunedin caused delays for citybound motorists from about 8.25am.

Many hill suburb roads have frozen and motorists are being asked to take extra care or avoid travel if possible. 

In Tapanui, heavy snow left some residents without power for much of the morning. 

And if the snow wasn't enough, a heavy rain watch has been issued for Clutha and Southland from 3am until 6pm Monday. 

The polar blast bringing snow, wind and rain across large swathes of the South is expected to be shoved east by an incoming ridge of high pressure in the next few days.

"It’s probably a good start for the school holidays," MetService meteorologist Paul Ngamanu said.

"Couple of movie days … then once this flow clears off there’ll probably be some pretty good ski conditions."

The movies had to wait for some Waverly residents though, with Aurora Energy reporting a power outage affecting more than 120 customers from 10.30pm Saturday night.

Power was restored at about 2.30pm Sunday. 

Dunedin buses have also been affected, with the 5/6 Pine Hill route unable to travel up Pine Hill. The route will start and stop from Bank St. 

The route 15 Ridge Runner and 37/38 Concord buses are suspended until further notice. 

Route 33 from Corstorphine and routes 44 and 55 from St Kilda will now only travel as far as the Dunedin Bus Hub. 

Three Mile Hill Rd in Dunedin closed due to snow at about 2.30am.

Waka Kotahi warned of black ice on SH1 between Dunedin and East Taieri at about 8.45am. 

The Dunedin to Waitati Highway (SH1) also closed at Leith Saddle at about 2.30am but reopened at about 6.30am.

Two vehicles, including at least one truck, became stuck on SH8 in the icy conditions. 

Manuka Gorge was down to one lane and there were delays at Tunnel Hill on the Beaumont Highway.

Police advised it could take some time for the road to be fully cleared. 

Grit trucks are out to try to ease the dangerous conditions.

Snow fell on Crown Range Rd overnight but the route remains open despite the freezing, icy conditions though chains are required for all motorists. 

Periods of snow are likely to continue throughout Sunday and 2-4cm may settle on the road.

A Queenstown Lakes District Council spokesman said extreme care was required.

In South Otago, as much as 30cm of snow has fallen around Tuapeka West.

Milford Rd (State Highway 94) from Te Anau to Milford, reopened shortly after 10am Sunday but will close overnight from 4.30pm.

SH93 between Clinton and Mataura has also reopened. 

State Highway 87 between Kyeburn and Outram and SH85 between Kyeburn and Palmerston are both closed due to heavy snow, with the next update expected mid-morning Sunday.

MetService issued a raft of heavy snow and road snowfall warnings for across southern and central parts of the South Island. 

A heavy snowfall warning remains in place for areas of Otago south of the line from Queenstown to Alexandra and Mosgiel, as well as for Southland and Stewart Island. 

A Clutha District Council spokeswoman said a "fair amount" of snow had fallen in the district's higher altitude areas, including West Otago, Hillend, Owaka Valley and Waipori. 

Strong winds had also caused deep snow drifts in some areas. 

More snow is forecast for the rest of the day and CDC contractors are monitoring the situation. There were no plans to start clearing roads at this stage, the spokeswoman said. 

The heaviest snow was expected from Saturday afternoon through to Sunday evening, with a whopping 20-30cm possible above 300m and lesser amounts down to 100m. 

For the latest road conditions, check the Waka Kotahi NZTA website. 

 - Additional reporting NZ Herald