Snow fell to sea level in Dunedin on Tuesday morning, closing state highways, shutting schools and stranding buses as a blast of Antarctic air pushed up the eastern side of the country. Police asked people across the lower South Island to stay off the roads entirely, and by mid-morning the city was effectively cut off to the north.
State Highway 1 was closed between Pine Hill and Waitati, the main route north out of Dunedin, the NZ Transport Agency said. State Highway 87 between Outram and Middlemarch had already shut on Monday night, and State Highway 85 between Kyeburn and Morrisons closed as well. In Canterbury, State Highway 75 between Tai Tapu and Duvauchelle, the road that carries traffic from Christchurch to Akaroa, was also closed. Within Dunedin, Three Mile Hill Road, Mount Cargill Road and Blueskin Road were all shut, and the section of State Highway 1 south of Mornington Road reopened later in the morning with drivers told to expect delays while congestion cleared, the Otago Daily Times reported.
Police said several vehicles had slid off the road in Dunedin and that no injuries had been reported. Their advice went well beyond the snow line. “We are asking that everyone avoid travelling, even in areas that aren’t experiencing snow fall,” a police spokesperson told 1News. “If you are on the road, please drive to the conditions – slow down, keep a safe following distance, exercise patience, and expect delays.”
Crashes were reported on Moray Place, Smith Street and High Street and at the intersection of Craigleith Street and Taine Street. City-bound traffic from Kaikorai Valley Road came to a standstill after a bus jackknifed at the Stuart Street intersection. About 7.50am emergency services were called to Leckhampton Court at Clyde Hill, where a car had slid over a bank and come to rest against a house. Nobody was hurt, and police said crews were working out how to remove the vehicle.
All Dunedin bus services were cancelled until further notice because of the road conditions. Schools followed. Primary and intermediate schools and Dunedin Kindergartens across a stretch of the city running from Mosgiel to Port Chalmers to Waikouaiti closed, the Otago Primary Principals’ Association said, after an earlier plan for a delayed 10am start. Secondary schools including Bayfield High School and Otago Girls’ High School closed, along with East Otago High School, and Otago Polytechnic shut for the day. The University of Otago advised staff and students to travel in only if it was safe to do so.
The Dunedin City Council warned of widespread snow and treacherous driving conditions across the city.
MetService forecaster Gerard Bellam had flagged the risk before the front arrived, describing a very cold front crossing Stewart Island and running up the east coast of the South Island. “Then behind that, we’re seeing a very cold outbreak of strong southwest winds coming all the way up from the ice,” he said, referring to Antarctica. He expected snow down to about 200 metres overnight, hitting Dunedin’s hill suburbs and the motorway out of the city, with winds gusting up to 90kmh from South Otago through to North Otago.
“This is probably the coldest outbreak of this year, we’re thinking, but it’s mostly confined to the coastal areas of eastern Otago,” Bellam said. “It’s not really penetrating that much inland.” He also made the point that it does not take much snow to cause trouble on Dunedin’s steep streets. “Certainly, we don’t need much — one or two centimetres is enough to cause disruption on those higher roads.”
The same system disrupted travel across Cook Strait. Interislander cancelled all four of its scheduled sailings between Picton and Wellington on Tuesday. “High winds and large swells are forecast for Cook Strait on Tuesday 4 August,” the operator said. “All affected passengers are being moved to alternative sailings and are being contacted directly. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority.” Bluebridge said it was watching the southerly closely and warned that if the predicted swells eventuated, services could be delayed or cancelled. A heavy swell warning was in place for the Wairarapa coast, with waves rising to six metres.
Snow also settled on the Port Hills and Banks Peninsula, and reached the streets of Christchurch. Road snowfall warnings remained in place for the summit of Remutaka Hill Road on State Highway 2, for Lewis Pass and Porters Pass, and for the Crown Range Road. The Transport Agency asked drivers to keep away from closed highways and to put off trips where they could. “With various other road warnings in place due to the weather conditions, people are asked to take extra care generally on the roads,” it said.
What makes this snap unusual is where the air has come from. MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said the airmass had travelled straight off the Antarctic ice sheet rather than picking up warmth over the ocean on the way. “Instead of the air kind of coming out of the Southern Ocean and being a bit more of a sort of southwesterly, this area is coming up directly off the Antarctic ice sheet,” he said.
That matters most later in the week. Once the front clears and the wind drops, skies open up and overnight temperatures fall away sharply. MetService meteorologist Silvia Martino said Thursday morning is shaping up as the coldest of the year for much of the country. “Even for our coldest month of the year, these are exceptionally cold overnight temperatures,” she told 1News. “Whitianga and Hamilton are forecast to be almost ten degrees colder than average for this time of year on Thursday morning, at -3C and -5C respectively, and even the ‘winterless north’ is set to see frosty starts.”
Hamilton’s forecast low of -5C would match the city’s August record. Auckland Airport is picked to reach about 1C, and Ferris said inland spots such as Ardmore and Whenuapai could go lower. “I would think temperatures below zero are possible Thursday morning for parts of Auckland,” he said. In the south, Bellam said a large high pressure system settling over Otago and Southland would bring clear skies and frosty mornings, with temperatures dropping to -6C.
Martino’s advice for the next few days was practical. “Check the snow level in your regional forecast to prepare if you’re going to be driving, particularly in Dunedin and Christchurch on Tuesday morning, and keep up with any updates on road conditions from NZTA Waka Kotahi and local council or emergency management.”
Live updates on the highway network are being posted by RNZ and on the NZTA Journey Planner, and MetService severe weather warnings are updated through the day.
Did the snow reach your street, and did you manage to get to work or school today? Tell us what conditions were like where you are in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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