New snow warnings for farmers

File photo / The Daily Post

Newborn lambs and calves might be in for a chilly start to their lives as the chance of more snow storms remains high over the next 12 weeks, WeatherWatch.co.nz says.

Forecaster Philip Duncan said the "neutral conditions" hanging over the country meant exposure to extreme weather.

"We have no La Nina and no El Nino - we have neutral conditions and that means we are exposed to all the extremes," Mr Duncan said.

"Right now we can have a real mixed bag of weather... a snowy blast one day, a sub-tropical low the next, then settled for a week."

As spring approached the biggest storms of the year were moving over the Southern Ocean.

"If one (storm) is coupled with a big high west of New Zealand it could help drive in a big southerly and again bring in more snow."

Fellow forecaster Richard Green said the recent warm winds over the South Island often preceded snowy events.

Warm winds in winter were often a sign of very large air pressure zones - so extra warm on one side could sometimes mean extra cold on the other.

While farmers planned for snow every year, early snow predictions could be helpful, Mr Green said.

Last year a spring snow storm in Southland killed half a million lambs and collapsed Stadium Southland on September 18.

Mr Duncan said one positive about snow at this time of the year was that it tended to pass quickly.

"Spring is a fast moving season, things don't usually hang around too long."

- NZPA