Sleet and more snow are expected to fall on southern roads today as the area continues to be hit by cold weather.
Highways around the South Island have reopened today after snow and ice closed off some alpine routes overnight, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said.
But snowfall warnings remain in effect for Crown Range Road, Lindis Pass, Porters Pass and Arthurs Pass.
Crown Range Road may see 1-3cm of snow descending on the summit between 10am and 5pm today, while the snow on Lindis Pass could be 2-4cm deep on the summit tonight.
Porters Pass could see heavier snow, with 10-20cm possibly above 800m between 2pm today and 3am Sunday morning. Similar conditions are possible at Arthurs Pass.
The roads remain open, but extra caution is advised.
The road between Haast, in the South West Country, and Lake Hawea, in Otago — SH6 — will remain closed until at least 12 noon today. Fallen trees and snow had to be cleared from the highway before it was safe for traffic.
The Crown Range Rd between Wanaka and Queenstown opened before 1pm yesterday and will remain open this morning.
With a wet and cold front hitting most of the country and snow in the Alpine passes, drivers were warned this morning about ice, especially on shady stretches of highway and bridge decks. People going over alpine passes should first check the Waka Kotahi traffic map and also MetService forecasts and updates.
Snow didn’t fall in the center of Queenstown, but on top of the mountains there was a lot of snow nearby. Coronet Peak registered about 6 inches of new snow and remained open, while the other three main ski fields in the area – Cardrona, Treble Cone and the Remarkables – did not open due to blizzards and high winds.
Wanaka woke up to snow all over town with about 4cm-5cm in most places.
Schools in Upper Clutha were delayed in opening, while students at Twizel Area School started their holiday early because the school didn’t open at all yesterday.
There was a lot of snow in the Mackenzie Country, while more snow is forecast in the Queenstown Lakes area next week.
The wild weather also affects coastal roads with high wind warnings on State Highway 1 from Palmerston all the way south to Milton.
There is a strong wind warning for Fiordland from 9 a.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday with south-easterly gusts of up to 120 km/h in unprotected areas.
A heavy snow warning has been issued for the Canterbury upland area south of the Rangitata River, with snow possibly up to 400m and heavy snow likely above 700m.
— Additional Report Aspen Bruce