Snow and ice have closed several state highways in the South Island as a cold weather system moves north.
The cold south to southeasterly system is bringing more snow to Canterbury and Marlborough, and MetService warned severe south to southeast gales are possible for parts of the South Island.
Kaikoura was cut off from the south this morning after snow closed SH1. However, the road has since reopened with road patrols are active.
SH8 from Fairlie to Twizel is also currently closed.
"Expect driving conditions to be challenging and road conditions to change quickly through the week," says Tresca Forrester, journey manager for Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
Check the Waka Kotahi map and MetService snow forecasts for road closure updates and weather warnings.
Roads closed due to snow:
SH8 Fairlie to Twizel, Burkes Pass.
SH8 Tarras to Omarama, the Lindis Pass.
SH85 Palmerston to Kyeburn.
SH87 Outram, west of Mosgiel, to Kyeburn.
Roads open but caution/chains needed:
SH73, Porters Pass, Springfield to Castle Hill and Arthur’s Pass to Otira: Chains essential, no towing vehicles.
SH7, the Lewis Pass north and west of Waipara: Snowing down to Shale Peak, snow Weka Pass to Hurunui, strong winds – care needed, especially high-sided vehicles.
SH77, Windwhistle to Methven: Road patrol active, closed to towing vehicles and chains essential.
Porters Pass: Vehicles had to be towed out last night but the route reopened at 8.30pm after closing at 5pm.
Waka Kotahi advised at 6.30am Dunedin's Northern Motorway was shut from Pine Hill to Waitati due to ice.
SH85 Palmerston to Kyeburn and Alexandra to Kyeburn, The Lindis Pass on SH8 (Tarras to Omarama) and SH8 Fairlie to Twizel are closed due to heavy snow and ice. Motorists should take alternative routes.
Meanwhile, heavy snow has also been forecast for alpine roads further north until midnight on Tuesday, with more in the morning, MetService advised.
The Lewis Pass (SH7) was expected to get between 10cm to 20cm, Arthur's Pass (SH73) between 25cm to 35cm was set to fall above 500 metres, and 10cm to 15cm lower down, while Porters Pass (SH73) was forecast between 20cm to 35 cm of snow to accumulate above 500 metres, with lesser amounts to low levels.
Chains for Crown Range
The Queenstown Lakes District Council advised chains must be fitted to all vehicles driving over the Crown Range linking Queenstown and Wanaka this morning as snow and icy conditions were expected.
"There has also been two slips on the zig zag part of the road so please take extra care," a spokeswoman said.
Snow is also falling through the Kawarau Gorge this morning.
Motorists could expect a mix of wet and dry roads around Whakatipu, Wanaka and the Cadrona Valley - with freezing temperatures there was a good chance black ice will form.
Expect ice and grit between Kingston and Frankton.
Essential travel only in Maniototo and Manuherikia
Heavy snow and freezing temperatures mean essential travel only for the Maniototo and Manuherikia areas. Crews will be focusing on the townships and sealed roads first, a spokesman for the Central Otago District Council said.
The Ida Valley Omakau Road (Blacks Hill) is closed (Swindon St intersection to Poolburn Moa Creek Rd intersection) due to snow and ice.
The rest of the district has wet roads with temperatures are ranging from -2°C to 2°C. Caution advised particularly in shaded spots and bridge decks around day break, crews have gritted these areas and will continue to monitor.
These roads remain closed: Danseys Pass Road (from the gates past the Danseys Pass Hotel), Auripo Road (Boundary Rd to Thurlow Rd), Popular Grove (Earnscleugh Rd intersection) due to fallen tree, St Bathans Downs Road (SH 85 to Beattie Rd) due to flooding.
Dunedin gets a dusting
Snow dusted parts of Dunedin yesterday and it dumped further inland, closing roads and disrupting travel.
MetService forecaster Gerard Barrow said snow fell widely across the South yesterday as a front moved up the lower South Island.
The snow was expected to make way for sleety showers in Dunedin today as the front pushed north.
While there were no equivalents to MetService’s rain gauges, reports of snow were received throughout the day yesterday, Mr Barrow said.
In St Bathans, about 600m above sea level, an observer reported that it started snowing about 10am and by about 4pm 8cm had accumulated, he said.
Places above 500m, including Ranfurly, would likely have had 5cm to 10cm, with lesser amounts accumulating below that.
However, snow did not fall to a uniform depth over a large area, Mr Barrow said.
After yesterday’s snowfall, conditions would clear, but temperatures would drop, and this morning and tomorrow morning especially could present risks of icy roads for drivers around the region.
In Dunedin, it was supposed to drop to 2degC to start today and to -2degC inland in places such as Alexandra and Clyde.
The temperature would drop even further to -5degC in those inland areas as the week progressed.
Maximum temperatures would remain in the single digits for the week.
Effusive reports of snow were made from Wakari, Shiel Hill and many from Pineapple Track, where a few centimetres covered the ground.
One observer said the area was "jam packed" and some people had brought along skis.
- Additional reporting ODT Online
