Latest updates: New Zealand's wild weather
MetService have issued a severe weather warning as heavy snow falls in the southwest of the South Island, and high winds lash the country from Canterbury to Gisborne. Schools have closed in Queenstown and trucks stranded near Alexandra due to the snow, and roofs have been lifted by high winds in Greymouth.
- 3.26pm MetService forecaster Ian Miller says a metre of snow is lying near the Homer tunnel.
"The heaviest falls are probably affecting Arthur's Pass and Lewis Pass but that should also ease over the next couple of hours,'' he told Newstalk ZB.
Mr Miller says further snow showers are forecast there through until tonight.
The Fiordland National Park is off limits due to avalanche risk.
Five trucks have gone off the road near Alexandra and Alexandra senior constable Mike Colligan says it's snowing heavily in the town but it's not settling.
He says there's heavy snow two minutes from the town on the way to Roxburgh, on the only road between Alexandra and Dunedin.
Five trucks are stranded there and the road has been closed.
Mike Colligan says emergency services are trying to get the trucks out and stop people from going on the road.
Snow has also been steadily falling up at St Arnaud in the Nelson Lakes National Park region.
Gale force winds in Wellington have prompted council authorities to ask residents to delay putting their recycling out in wind-exposed areas. - 2.57pm Philip Duncan of weatherwatch.co.nz says squalls and thunder are now hitting the Taranaki region, and will be heading north towards Waikato and Auckland in the next few hours.
- 2.10pm Roxburgh dairy farmer Rod Pemberton says the snow has been falling since Sunday, but has not been a problem for his cattle.
"What has falllen during the day tends to melt before the next snow fall. It's not building up."
Mr Pemberton's farm reaches 400m above sea level at its highest where he has had about 10cm of snow. - 2.02pm Snow levels may reach warning levels for Fiordland, southern parts of Southland, and Clutha later in the week, MetService says.
The forecaster says a "very cold, showery, southwest flow" should cover New Zealand on Thursday with snow showers are expected to near sea-level in Fiordland, Southland and Clutha.
During Thursday night and Friday morning a southerly change will bring some snow to parts of Canterbury and Marlborough but snowfalls are not expected to be substantial.
The cold south to southwest flow should continue through Friday and Saturday, then ease on Sunday as an anticyclone moves onto the South Island.
A large anticyclone should cover New Zealand on Monday. - 1.28 pm Snow has reportedly started falling in the Dunedin CBD
- 1.18pm Queenstown Lake District Council says Crown Range, Coronet Peak and Lindis Pass roads remain closed. Chains must be carried on Glenorchy, Fernhill, Kingston, Lake Hawea, Cardrona and Treble Cone roads. All other roads remain open.
- 1.10pm Seven metre waves are hitting Auckland's west coast, and they're not expected to ease today.
Philip Duncan from Weatherwatch.co.nz says the waves are pounding Piha Beach especially hard.
He says they're somewhere between six and eight metres high.
Mr Duncan says the large waves were forecast but they're lingering a bit longer than expected. - 12.37pm WeatherWatch's Philip Duncan predicts gale winds will hit the Auckland region this afternoon.
"At times the gales will be accompanied by squally showers which could produce damaging gusts," Mr Duncan said. "Typically trees, roofing iron and weak sheds/barns are at risk. Motorists are advised to drive with extreme caution, especially on the Auckland Harbour Bridge."
12.34pm The Fire Service have attended "seven or eight" wind related incidents in Greymouth, including roofs being lifted, a spokesman says. He knew of no other weather-related callouts in the South Island.
12.22pm Alexandra Acting Sergeant Derek Ealson told the Otago Daily Times it was snowing heavily through the area earlier this morning and two trucks had become stuck at Fruitlands, 13km southwest of Alexandra, and five more on the Roxburgh side of Shingle Creek.
He said NZTA had closed the road until further notice but there was a grader working on the road and grit was being laid.
Just after 11am he said it had stopped snowing, the sun had come out and police thought the road might be open in about an hour.
Speargrass Inn manager Rebecca Cowley, of Fruitlands, told the Otago Daily Times the snow started late last night and became "really heavy"
about 8am. She estimated about 12cm of snow fell at Fruitlands
