Rain and snow ... but no tornadoes

The Crown Range road, near Queenstown, was hit by snow yesterday but was still open to traffic. Photo / Alpine Image

Auckland will start the school holidays with rain and showers today and tomorrow, although it won't be quite as cold as it has been throughout the week.

Those heading south can look forward to a wintry dump of snow. In Canterbury and Otago a cold easterly will bring snow, predicted to fall as low as 300 metres on Sunday.

MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt says people travelling in the area should keep a watch for possible road closures.

"Snow is forecast across the Canterbury and Otago regions with several road closures threatened," he said.

"It's a good time to sit in front of the fire."

Much of the rest of the country is facing a wet weekend, although nothing compared with what was predicted on Thursday.

Peter Kreft, manager of public weather services for MetService, said forecasters had identified a cold front that had a significant risk of bringing severe squally conditions to the north of the country.

But on Thursday night the weather system broke up as it crossed the country, gathering strength again after reaching the eastern coast.

"The cold front passed acrosslast night and early this morning became fragmented before collecting itself as it moved to the east," said Mr Kreft.

"We couldn't ignore this risk and felt it was important to advise the public of the possibility of tornadoes over northern New Zealand."

Mr Kreft said notification of a watch was intended as early advice of potentially severe weather.

BETTER DAYS

What MetService said:

Thursday: "[The] active front will bring squally showers, which includes the possibility of dangerous gusts, maybe tornadoes, on the northern coasts."
Friday: "A narrow escape as a cold front whistled across the area without delivering on its considerable potential for damaging weather."A wet weekend is on the way for most of the country - but without the thunderstorms and tornadoes predicted.