First week of spring to bring snow, rain, storm winds

Get the best out today, because the first week of spring is about to become fresh.

It may not be what comes to mind when spring is mentioned, but the coming days will be plagued by rain, snow and stormy winds.

The first day of spring is beautiful and sunny for a large part of the country, although parts of the North Island are shrouded in heavy fog.

However, the warm weather would disappear from one day to the next, as a "complex" layer moved across the country, said Andy Best, meteorologist at Metservice.

"That layer becomes deeper and becomes a very important feature when it moves to the east of the South Island," he said.

There will be stormy north-westerly winds, thunderstorms over the western parts of the North Island and heavy showers in parts of the country.

On your way to the next week, & # 39; very cold & # 39; Southerly winds through the country and bring snow to & # 39; fairly low levels & # 39; in a large part of the South Island, although it was difficult to predict how low it would be.

There are severe weather appraisals for snow and heavy rain.

The system "becomes quite complex during Monday and Tuesday" and follows the east on the North Island.

"That layer deepens further and pushes those very cold southerly winds up through the northern south island and the lower North Island.

Occasionally stormy winds could prevail.

"It is a very complex and evolving system, so we follow it during the day and throughout the evening and tomorrow.

"The first part of spring is really a transition period from winter to summer, spring will always be very changeable," the best said.

The front is expected to bring blizzard & # 39; conditions to South Island

A bitter cold front is set to explode parts of the south tomorrow, including Dunedin, where snow is expected to be low.
MetService today issued a heavy snow watch for the eastern and southern parts of the South Island beneath the Waimakariri River in Canterbury, saying that a front would strike tomorrow night and continue to bring snow and bitter cold conditions to Monday morning.

Warnings for snowfall on the road were scattered across the South Island, including the SH1 from Dunedin to Waitati where snow would probably gather above 200 meters.

From 20.00 on Sunday to Monday 06.00, 4cm to 8cm can accumulate over the top of the road, with a minimum of 200m.

MetService said that the complex low and associated fronts were expected to move the country in the course of Sunday and Monday, causing snow to come south and heavy rain to central parts of the country.

"People are pointed out that strong cold southerly winds in combination with snow are likely to create snowstorms on higher ground during this time.

"This one [severe weather] during the Sunday evening and Monday mornings, there is a lot of snow in the south and west of Fiordland, Southland, Otago and Canterbury south of the Waimakariri river.

"Moreover, this watch is for heavy rainfall over Mount Taranaki and the Tararua Range."

The heavy snowguard for Southland, the western and southern parts of Fiordland and Otago (with the exception of the north of Otago) was in place from 12 pm at 6 pm.

The expectation was that the snow would fall to 300m to 400m during the Sunday evening and then to 200m early Monday morning.

Significant accumulations were probably more than 600 m, with the possibility that snow accumulations could approach warning quantities of more than 400 meters.

The heavy snow watch for North Otago and parts of Canterbury south of the Waimakariri River was in place from 5 pm onwards.

It was expected that the snow would drop to 400 meters on Sunday evening and then to Monday morning at 100 meters to 200 meters.

Significant snow accumulations were expected above 600 meters and accumulations could approach warning quantities of more than 400 meters.

Snowfall warnings are present for the following roads:

Lewis Pass (SH7)

Arthur & # 39; s Pass (SH73)

Porters Pass (SH73)

Haast Pass (SH6)

Lindis Pass (SH8)

Crown Range Road

Milford Road (SH94)

Dunedin to Waitati Highway (SH1)

– additional reporting Otago Daily Times