South Island endures mixed start to winter as cold snap continues to bite

Sunday, 2 June 2019

Molly the dog enjoyed frolicking in a snow-covered Lake Tekapo at the weekend.

South Islanders battling to stay warming during the long weekend can expect no relief from the days ahead.

About 90mm of rain has lashed Christchurch since Friday morning, leaving roads flooded and the Avon and Heathcote rivers bursting their banks in some places.

Heavy rain in the Christchurch area since Friday morning left many parts flooded, with people left to wade through streets in Kaiapoi.

Conditions may ease on Monday and Tuesday, but forecasters are predicting a 'significant storm' will batter much of the country from Wednesday.

Supporters at the Christchurch Marathon were left hunting for shelter as runners were drenched and forced to dodge deep puddles in Sunday's race.

Jaimee Rachinger and Matt Ridenton prop each other up after battling miserable conditions to finish the Christchurch half marathon.

* Oska Inkster-Baynes wins Christchurch Marathon in freezing conditions

* Heavy snow for South, rain, wind and cold for many

* The big chill: wintery snap to lash New Zealand this weekend

Snow that left Lewis Pass closed on Saturday has since eased, and traffic restrictions have been lifted.

* Heavy snow for parts of South Island this weekend, while round two could hit next week**

The snow-hit Lewis, Arthur's and Porters passes re-opened after shutting on Saturday, although there were warnings to take care on high roads around Tekapo and Geraldine because of snow.

In Christchurch around 4000 runners endured wet and blustery conditions as they took part in 10km, half marathon, marathon and children's events.

Runners were warned on the start line of tricky conditions and floodwaters that in some cases could come up to their ankles, with women's marathon winner Alice Mason saying at the finish she had had to negotiate 'a lot of massive puddles'.

Floodwaters in some parts left roads on the verge of being impassable.

Despite the rain in Christchurch, MetService forecaster Kyle Lee said the general trend was one of easing weather for most of the South Island.

'Christchurch is still getting a lot of showers, and we expect that to continue all the way through the day, particularly in the Banks Peninsula region, and it only really stars clearing tomorrow [Monday].'

Canterbury and the high country were lashed with snow and rain on Saturday, the first day of winter leaving motorists stranded in cars overnight on Friday in freezing conditions.

More than 40 hours of rain has left many areas flooded, particularly around Canterbury.

The pressure system that brought the wet and snowy weather is starting to move away east over the Pacific, with cold weather left in its wake.

'There's a really good frost risk [Monday] morning for large parts of the South Island, and a lot of areas are going to drop to close to 0C,' Kyle said.

But the South Island is braced for more bad weather next week.

Low pressure from the Tasman Sea will bring strong winds and heavy rain to many places on Wednesday, MetService said, moving away on Thursday to leave cold temperatures blanketing much of the country.

Canterbury could see snow above 400 metres, with severe gales in exposed parts.