Snow closes roads in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula

Photo: Christchurch City Council

Snow forced the closure of a number roads in Christchurch and other parts of the South Island, but the cold front is now moving over the North Island today.

MetService meteorologist April Clark said, “snow affecting the upper South Island, including the higher suburbs of Christchurch is on the easing trend, with showers and snow set to gradually clear.

The settled, but icy, weather, which is already gracing the lower South Island today, is due to a ridge of high pressure which has started to move in behind the cold front.

Clear skies after this polar blast makes a perfect recipe for freezing overnight temperatures.

Many inland regions of the South Island are looking to drop more than a couple of degrees below zero overnight tonight.

Queenstown is looking to plummet to -5C tomorrow, which could be their coldest temperature this year so far, but well off their all-time low of -12.2C in July 1995.

Photo: Christchurch City Council

The coldest temperatures in the North Island will most likely happen Saturday morning with Masterton set to drop to -3C.
 
Over the weekend a couple of fronts moves northwards over both the North and South Islands, though most of the rain associated with each will be contained to western regions, leaving the east mostly fine. Both daytime and overnight temperatures make a slight recovery as these fronts move over. 

Photo: Christchurch City Council

The Christchurch City Council said Dyers Pass Road from upper Hackthorne Road to Governors Bay Road was closed, Dyers Pass Road intersection at Victoria Park Drive, Summit Road and Godley Head at Evans Pass, Summit Road from Dyers Pass Road to Gebbies Pass, Sumner Road from Reserve Terrace to Evans Pass Road, Purau Port Levy from Purau to Western Valley, Little Akaloa Road, Summit Road from Pigeon Bay Road to Le Bons Bay Road.

SH75 from Little River to Duvauchelle will reopen at 4pm.