Black ice is also plaguing roads around the lower South Island. The Queenstown Lakes District Council said main routes around the district have ice on the roads and have been gritted. The Crown Range is open, but chains are required and towing vehicles are prohibited. The Fire Service said there had been several minor accidents in Dunedin overnight due to ice on the roads. Police are urging motorists to stay off the roads unless necessary.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says a depression that is starting to intensify quite quickly and could deliver decent gales overnight tonight across western and southern areas of the Mainland along with a few inland areas as well.

International Breaking News cameraman Geoff Mackley filmed this spectacular footage of a Kiwirail train snow ploughing in Arthur's Pass New Zealand. The YouTube clip has been viewed over 850,000 times and viewed worldwide via CNN and other major news agencies. Otira locomotion engineer DB Wilson says "there is no snow ploughing 101, we have to learn in the fly".

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says after a brutally cold start to winter for many regions the weather this weekend will be fairly Autumn-like with mild, settled weather kicking off the weekend for most then turning to colder wetter weather on Sunday.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan shows his top 10 picks of weather photos for 2012 so far.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says another weather system will make its way toward New Zealand today. The Tasmanian low will bring more wind and rain to the North Island as we head into the afternoon and evening hours. That’s on top of the showers that will be dotting the island this morning.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan has your weekend weather forecast.

Heavy blankets of snow fell on Christchurch City causing some road & school closures but that didn't stop work & play around the city.

The fall of heavy snow has hit the town of Methven causing road & school closures. Local farmer David Callaghan is not too worried as yet & is happy he had plenty of notice of the heavy snow fall.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan has your forecast for the long weekend ahead.

Weather analyst Philip Duncan is here with his mid-week weather update.

Weather analyst Philip Duncan talks about a cooler week with a burst of wintry weather around Thursday and Friday

A settled Friday will kick off this final weekend of Autumn. The big ridge of high pressure will continue to keep things pretty pleasant and rather dry. Except plenty of sunshine once the early morning fog burns off. The only areas that won’t see a dry day are the West Coast, Otago and inland Southland. Showers are possible during the morning for those areas and then the chance for showers will continue into the afternoon and evening about the West coast.

WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan says the large Tasmanian low continues to churn offshore this evening. Showers are making their way onshore about Taranaki where a Heavy Rain Warning remains in place through tomorrow afternoon. The warning also includes Waitomo, but most of the heavy falls are expected around Taranaki. The majority of rain tonight should be in these areas. However, showers are likely to dot much of the remainder of the southern half of the North Island. The threat for small tornadoes about Taranaki still exists as well.

WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan says a developing and deepening low in the Southern Ocean could bring several days of unsettled weather to the country.

WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan says it will be a showery couple of days ahead of the next system to move over the country.