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RNZ News
10 hours ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
State Highway 8 and SH80 reopen after snow closure
The road winding east along SH8 toward Burkes Pass township in the South Island. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Transport Agency Two sections of State Highway in the Mackenzie Country that were closed overnight - because of risk from snow and ice - have now reopened. State Highway 8 between Twizel and Fairlie and SH80 between Lake Pukaki and Aoraki/Mt Cook were closed on Saturday night as a safety precaution to both motorists and crews working on the roads. The New Zealand Transport Agency said the crews had been busy gritting and treating areas of ice on the roads. The road closures were lifted around 10am on Sunday. However, motorists are still advised to take care when travelling. A road snowfall warning is still in place for Porters Pass (SH73) and the Crown Range Road until Monday morning. MetService said warmer than average conditions over summer and the start of autumn had made this weekend's chilly blast all the more noticeable. Parts of the country awoke to their coldest morning of the year on Sunday with sub zero temperatures across the South Island as well as in Hamilton and parts of Wellington. Christchurch residents also reported the year's first dusting of snow on the Port Hills this morning. MetService Meteorologist Devlin Lynden said Mackenzie Basin dipped to a low of - 8°C while Wanaka and Queenstown recorded lows of - 5°C. He says - further north - the capital's weather station in Porirua recorded a low of - 1.3°C while Hamilton also touched freezing point reaching down to zero degrees. Auckland escaped with a comparatively mild 5°C while Whakatāne and Tauranga hovered at 2°C. Lynden said warmer than average conditions earlier in the year made Sunday morning's chilly blast all the more pronounced. "Through the start of summer and autumn we had lots of these northerly storm cycles - bringing quite a bit of moisture to the likes of Northland," Lynden said. "But with these storm cycles we also get quite warm conditions that's added to the shock value of this polar blast that we're experiencing right now." He said the cold temperatures were expected to linger into this week. "The next few days will still be quite chilly - perhaps a bit warmer than this morning - but as we look into the mid-week there will be some lifting of temperatures into lows of 10°C for some parts of the North Island. "But with that there will also be some rain unfortunately and cloudy conditions later on this week," Lynden said. He said snow forecast to fall as low as 400 metres on the mountain passes above the Canterbury Plains and Banks Peninsula could make driving treacherous in coming days. MetService has Road Snowfall Warnings in place for SH73, Porter's pass and the Crown Range Road into Monday morning. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
State Highway 8 and State Highway 80 reopen after snow closure
East along SH8 towards Burkes Pass township. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Transport Agency Two sections of State Highway in the Mackenzie Country that were closed overnight - because of risk from snow and ice - have now reopened. State Highway 8 between Twizel and Fairlie and State Highway 80 between Lake Pukaki and Aoraki/Mt Cook were closed on Saturday night as a safety precaution to both motorists and crews working on the roads. The New Zealand Transport Agency said the crews had been busy gritting and treating areas of ice on the roads. The road closures were lifted around 10am on Sunday. However, motorists are still advised to take care when travelling. A road snowfall warning is still in place for Porters Pass (State Highway 73) and the Crown Range Road until Monday morning. MetService said the warmer than average weather over summer and the start of autumn have made Sunday morning's chilly blast all the more noticeable. Some of the country woke up to the coldest morning of the year, with sub-zero temperatures across the South Island as well as in Hamilton and parts of Wellington. Meteorologist Devlin Lynden said the Mackenzie Basin dipped to a low of -8 degrees while the capital's weather station in Porirua was less than -1 degrees. He said it will stay cold over the next couple of days but temperatures are expected to lift in the mid-week, accompanied by some rain and cloud. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Severe weather warnings for NZ as heavy rain, strong wind approaches
MetService has issued 11 severe weather warnings across the country. Photo: Romolo Tavani / 123RF Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to hit the western coast later on Sunday as a front sweeps in from the Tasman Sea. MetService has issued 11 severe weather warnings across the country. "A front sweeps over southern and central New Zealand from the Tasman Sea during Sunday and Monday, bringing a period of heavy rain and strong north to northwest winds," the forecaster said. Orange heavy rain warnings have been issued for Buller, the Westland ranges, parts of Canterbury and parts of Otago from Sunday evening until Monday morning. In parts of Canterbury and Westland, rain could reach 200mm. Heavy rain watches have also been issued for Taranaki, parts of Tasman, Tararua Range and Grey District. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings. Photo: MetService MetService is warning drivers to be careful on Canterbury's High Country roads, with winds already reaching more than 100km/h. The region is under a strong wind watch for 12 hours from 6pm Sunday. Wellington and Marlborough have also been issued strong wind watches. Meteorologist Devlin Lynden said people on mountain roads need to take care as Mount Hutt is being battered with 120km winds. MetService said there was a moderate risk of thunderstorms in the Canterbury Alps, Fiordland and the Otago headwaters on Sunday. These thunderstorms will boost localised rainfall rates to 10-25mm/h, or possibly higher in a few places. A low risk of thunderstorms covers northern Westland, western parts of Southland, Stewart Island, the Queenstown Lakes District and the Mackenzie Basin from late evening as indicated on the chart. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Climate
- Scoop
Winter Comes Knocking After A Wet Weekend
Covering period of Monday 19th - Thursday 22nd May • A soggy start gives way to crisp, clear conditions across most of Aotearoa. • Cold southerlies sweep in behind the weekends rain, dropping temperatures into the low single digits. • Frosts are expected for many from Tuesday, particularly in inland areas. • Settled weather dominates the week under a strengthening ridge of high pressure. After a wet and windy weekend, MetService is forecasting a shift into a more settled pattern, but it comes with a cold bite. A ridge of high pressure builds in from the west on Monday, pushing away rain and leaving behind cool, clear conditions and some chilly southerlies. Those southerlies will bring a real taste of winter, with temperatures dropping in their wake. Overnight lows through the week are expected to fall well into single digits for most and even into the negatives for some. Inland areas about Canterbury, Otago, Wairarapa, The Central Plateau and Waikato can expect icy mornings for much of the week. The west and south coasts of the South Island may hang onto a bit more cloud through the week, and some coastal parts of the eastern North Island, like Gisborne and Napier, will see a few showers persist into Monday night and Tuesday morning before clearing. 'While sunshine may be a nice change for some after the weekend's rain, clear skies and long nights this time of year let the day's warmth escape, setting the stage for some chilly starts,' says MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden. 'It's classic settled autumn weather, blue skies by day, frosts by night.' Later in the week, Fiordland and coastal Southland will be the first to see signs of a change as a weak front brushes by, but for most, the dry, cold pattern continues through Friday. With the early-week rain set to quickly be swept away, and only two weeks of autumn left, winter is truly knocking on our door, cold, crisp, and calm. Stay up to date with the latest forecasts at Using Scoop for work? Scoop is free for personal use, but you'll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features. Join Pro Individual Find out more
