Snow, hail, thunderstorms lash South Island

Wednesday, 25 September 2019

Extreme hail in North Canterbury during September.

Flurries of snow, hail and thunderstorms have lashed the South Island forcing road closures and wintry conditions.

Many North Canterbury roads were turned white after a large flurry of snow and hailstones battered the area late on Wednesday afternoon, including in the Amberley Beach area, in the Hurunui district.

It came after a Metservice statement said showers, thunderstorms and hail were expected, with a risk some thunderstorms could be severe. 'Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips,' it said.

Snow blankets the ground in Naseby, Central Otago, on Wednesday.

Snow was forecast to lower to 100 metres in Canterbury, and possibly lower in heavy showers.

**READ MORE:

A layer of snow covered Blair Smith's ute at Mayfield, inland from Ashburton, on Wednesday evening.

* North Island hit by heavy rain, gales, tumbling temperatures; snow risk for many passes

* Goodbye sunshine, hello thunderstorms, plummeting temperatures and snow

Flurries of snow, hail and thunderstorms have lashed the South Island forcing road closures and wintry conditions.

* Wild weather hits Auckland with trees and powerlines down

* Coromandel flooding: properties damaged, cows swept to sea, sheep drowned**

Heavy snow around eastern Southland, near Gore, in August. We may be past the spring equinox but snow showers are forecast for the area on Wednesday evening.

Snow flurries closed sections of the Lewis Pass, which connects Canterbury to the West Coast. State Highway 7 (SH7) between the Hanmer Turnoff, Springs Junction and Reefton was closed just before 6pm.

Winter will return to the south of the country, with a Heavy Snow Watch in place in Fiordland.

UPDATE 5:50PM

SH7 is NOW also CLOSED between SH7 Springs Junction to Reefton (Rahu). An update is expected at 8pm on our website here: https://t.co/HR9GNMBo43. Avoid travel in the area. ^MF https://t.co/k5V443zBEM

— NZTA Canterbury/WC (@NZTACWC) September 25, 2019

Extreme hail hit Amberley Beach, North Canterbury, on Wednesday afternoon.

A NZ Transport Agency spokesman said motorists should avoid the area until it was reopened. An update was expected at 8pm.

Snow was reported in the Ashburton and Methven areas in Canterbury on Wednesday evening as an active front moved across the area.

It's set to be a wet day for much of the North Island.

'There were some thunderstorms passing through the area, quite heavy showers with hail,' MetService meteorologist Larissa Marintchenko said.

A weather station in Methven recorded 16.9mm of rain in the five hours to 8.30pm, while the temperature in Ashburton around that time was 0.4 degrees Celsius, which was definitely cold enough for snow.

Blair Smith said a few centimetres of snow fell in Mayfield, inland from Ashburton, from about 8-8.30pm. 'Just enough to cover the ground,' he said.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said crews had not responded to any weather-related callouts throughout the South Island as of 6.15pm.

SH7 LEWIS PASS - ROAD CLOSED - 5:40PM

Due to a snow a section of #SH7 is CLOSED between the Hanmer Turnoff to Springs Junction (Lewis Pass). Delay your journey if possible. Next update 8pm via our website: https://t.co/qjelT9Ti1C. ^MF pic.twitter.com/pI7XcZ0EiF

— NZTA Canterbury/WC (@NZTACWC) September 25, 2019

Windy gales were also expected for the North Island, with warnings for most regions.

The heaviest snowfall was expected in Fiordland. Snow was expected to 100 metres late Wednesday afternoon or evening, before rising to 400 metres on Thursday.

State Highway 94 from Te Anau to Milford was closed throughout Wednesday due to heavy snow. It was also expected to remain closed for most of Thursday.

NZTA advised drivers to take care on SH1 between Balclutha and Gore because of strong winds, on SH87 from Outram to Kyeburn due to ice, SH1 from Dunedin to Palmerston due to snow, and SH63 and SH6 from Renwick to Murchison due to snow.

MetService reported a snow shower on the Crown Range Road on Wednesday afternoon, and said 2cm of snow was reported from Clinton in Otago.

A Blue Skies Forecast release said Canterbury farmers on Banks Peninsula and the western plains could expect 3-5 centimetres of snow from late Wednesday afternoon.

About 1-3cm of snow was expected along the eastern plains and western hill country. Winds were unlikely to be strong with snow, but temperatures below zero for six to 10 hours could be hazardous for stock.

The chilly snap comes just after the spring equinox on Monday.

Metservice meteorologist Lewis Ferris said the weather wasn't unusual for this time of year.

'It certainly is springtime but these aren't too unusual conditions for spring. It's a very changeable time of year.'