Spring warmth gives way to wintry blast with snow and flooding

What happened

What happened

New Zealand's weather is shifting dramatically mid-week as warm spring conditions give way to a wintry southerly flow. While much of the country reached temperatures in the low-to-mid 20s early in the week—with Christchurch Central peaking at 24C and one Dunedin station recording 26C—temperatures are expected to plummet by up to 10 degrees by week's end. A large trough moving eastwards on Thursday will bring heavy rain, strong winds and snow to higher elevations. MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning for Buller, with 90–110mm expected by 9pm Wednesday, and heavy rain watches for North Otago, Dunedin, Clutha, the Tararua Range, Taranaki Maunga, and parts of the South Island high country. Strong wind watches are in place for Wellington and the Marlborough Sounds with gusts potentially reaching 100km/h. Snow is possible on higher roads in the South Island on Thursday and the northern South Island and central North Island on Friday. State Highway 3 through Awakino Gorge has been closed by flooding. Dunedin City Council is opening sandbagging stations and preparing stormwater systems. By Sunday, a ridge of high pressure is expected to bring more settled conditions.

Key facts

• Christchurch reached 24C early week; expected to drop to 15C by Thursday
• Orange heavy rain warning for Buller: 90–110mm by 9pm Wednesday
• Snow possible on higher roads South Island Thursday, northern South Island and central North Island Friday
• State Highway 3 Awakino Gorge closed by flooding
• Wellington and Marlborough Sounds strong wind watches: gusts up to 100km/h

What happens next

MetService will issue a fresh forecast update at 10am.

Primary source: MetService forecasts and warnings

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Coverage across the news outlets we track, as at publication.

Where the outlets differ

The Otago Daily Times and NZ Herald both report the Dunedin City Council's precautions, with the ODT providing more detail on specific stormwater preparations and sandbagging station locations. RNZ notes State Highway 3 is down to one lane; the NZ Herald and Newstalk ZB report it closed. The Country radio segment focuses on farming impacts but provides less specific weather detail than the warning-focused articles.

What outlets are saying