KEY POINTS:
A cold front is forecast across New Zealand in the next 24 hours bringing snow to low levels in the South Island and higher ground in the North.
The MetService today said snow showers down to 200 to 300 metres are likely in parts of Southland, Otago and Canterbury by this evening.
Sleet down to sea level is possible in the deep south.
Snow amounts are not expected to reach warning levels but could affect many higher roads such as the Northern Motorway out of Dunedin and Porters Pass, it said.
In eastern Marlborough, snow is expected down to 500 metres tonight.
The cold front will reach the North Island early tomorrow bringing snow to higher areas from Wairarapa up to Gisborne, including Taihape.
A warning has been issued for eastern parts of the Central Plateau and parts of Hawke's Bay and Southern Gisborne above 600 metres.
Elsewhere snowfalls are expected to be lighter but could still affect some of the higher roads in these regions including the Rimutaka Hill Road.
The MetService advises travellers in these areas to be prepared for snow on higher roads and suggests trampers reconsider their plans.
Farmers are advised to move vulnerable stock to areas sheltered from the cold south to southwest flow.
Meanwhile Auckland police are warning people from Northland to Hawke's Bay there could be up to 25mm of rain an hour in localised downpours over the next 24 hours.
Residents should be aware of the weather warnings and be prepared, Inspector Willie Taylor said.
It was a precautionary warning and people did not need to think about packing up and evacuating their homes.
However, he said people needed to be aware of what might be needed if there was surface flooding.
He said water tables would still be very high after flooding earlier this month and surface flooding was a possibility.
"It's all the areas that are heavily saturated already getting a further dump."
NZPA
- NZPA
