Snow covers Wellington's Rimutaka Ranges.
Snow fell overnight in Wairarapa down to 300m, with New Zealand Transport Agency teams working through the night to keep the Rimutaka Hill Rd open for commuters to Wellington this morning. The foothills near Masterton and Carterton on both sides received a dump, as did the Aorangi Ranges on the southern coast. Although the weather cleared across the Rimutaka and Tararua ranges, snow continued to fall on the eastern foothills during the morning, reaching up to 6cm near Gladstone and Admirals Hill.
The wet weather will linger in Auckland today as the storm that dumped snow around the country moves past New Zealand.
The storm - the biggest on the planet yesterday according to WeatherWatch - drenched Auckland in torrential rain and battered it with southwesterlies.
While the weather was expected to ease, MetService said today and tomorrow would still hold plenty of showers. A low of 10C and high of 15C was forecast for the city.
The storm was moving away to the southeast, but the country would still be affected by it today and tomorrow, said WeatherWatch head analyst Philip Duncan.
Zane Buchanan, 6, and his sister Anais, 7, snow-fight on the Rimutaka Hill summit. Photo / Mark Mitchell
"We're still caught up in this cold, showery and sometimes windy southwest flow," he said.
Temperatures in the South Island could lift by around 1C, which would mean less snow, but rain showers and hail would continue for Southland and Otago.
"It will be cold everywhere and similar to [yesterday], but some places in the South Island might get a slightly warmer day than Monday was."
Image 1 of 17: Queenstown. Photo / Supplied
Dunedin was yesterday battered by an onslaught of Antarctic weather, with 10cm falling on its hill suburbs. At nearby Clarks Junction, 25cm of snow fell. A lightning storm on Sunday night cut electricity to Musselburgh, Port Chalmers and part of the Otago Peninsula. Queenstown Airport was temporarily closed, with heavy snow right down to the township, and snow flurries blanketed Invercargill.
Light falls were reported in Napier and heavier falls on the Napier-Taupo road. A severe weather warning was in place for Wairarapa and western Bay of Plenty where there was a risk of gales.
Cars negotiate the conditions up the Rimutaka Hill. Photo / Andrew Bonallack
Mr Duncan said the cold weather was not unusual for the time of year. MetService said it had not reached a record low for May.
"It's fairly normal to get a cold snap in late May. We're less than a week away from winter, it's not surprising to get a blast like this."
However, the strength of the low was surprising - with the storm labelled as "the biggest on earth" at the time.
"The depth of this storm south of New Zealand is up there with some of the biggest hurricanes we've seen."
Horses at a Puketapu, Hawkes Bay, farm are well-wrapped up. Photo / Brenda Reay
Only the edges of the storm had affected the country as its centre was around 1000km to 1500km to the southeast. WeatherWatch said the forecast air pressure at its centre would be greater than that of Hurricane Katrina when it made landfall in 2005.
Today's forecast •Auckland: Occasional showers with brisk west to southwest winds. High 15C •Tauranga: Sunny areas and some cloud, breezy westerly winds. High 15C Wellington: Mainly sunny with southerly winds. High 12C •Christchurch: Some cloud with cold southwesterlies, showers over the outer peninsula with the odd snow flurry to 300m. High 12C •Dunedin: Mostly cloudy, chance of a remaining shower. Strong southwesterly winds. High 8C Source: Weather Watch
