New Zealand Daily Snow
By Mike O'Connor, Meteorologist Posted 11 months ago August 14, 2024
Southern Lakes receive snow, gales and snow for the weekend
Summary
Tuesday saw clear skies after Monday's strong winds disrupted lifts. The Southern Lakes received 5-11cm of fresh snow. Today, high pressure brings fine weather with lighter winds. By Thursday, a front will bring rain, high snow, and strong NW winds to the South Island, weakening by Friday. Saturday's low from the Tasman Sea brings rain and gales, with snow likely by Sunday as a cold front arrives.
Short Term Forecast
Wednesday (14 August)
It will be a clear and sunny day at all NZ resorts. The Southern Lakes will experience westerly winds, Canterbury's SW winds will ease by morning, and the southerly winds on Mt Ruapehu will gradually weaken.
Thursday & Friday (15th & 16th August)
Strong NW winds will intensify to gale force in the morning on Thursday over the South Island, leading to overcast skies. Rain showers and high-elevation snow will spill over the Main Divide, reaching the Southern Lakes by late morning and extending into Canterbury in the afternoon. Resorts nearer to the Main Divide will receive more precipitation than those further east, though the showers won’t be particularly heavy.Mt Ruapehu will have a clear start, but westerly winds will bring in clouds by the afternoon.
South Island resorts can expect a sunny day with some high cloud cover on Friday. W-NW winds will be brisk, particularly in exposed areas of Canterbury. On Mt Ruapehu, westerly winds will bring light rain and drizzle from midday, with snow expected at higher altitudes.
Weekend (17th & 18th August)
Clouds will hover over the South Island before rain spreads into Canterbury by afternoon and evening, then reaching the Southern Lakes at night, with the possibility of heavy rainfall. NW winds will ease throughout the day but are expected to escalate to severe gales in Canterbury during the evening.On Mt Ruapehu, rain will intensify as the day progresses, eventually becoming heavy as NW winds reach severe gale force.
By Sunday, as the low-pressure system moves eastward, cold air will begin to move up the South Island.
Extended Forecast
The cold air surging up the South Island will reach the North Island by Monday. This will likely deliver a fresh layer of powder to all NZ resorts, with Canterbury potentially receiving a more substantial snowfall.
By Tuesday and Wednesday, strong, cold SW winds will ease as a high-pressure ridge moves in, clearing out any lingering snow showers.
Thanks for reading. I'll continue to provide these forecasts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout the southern hemisphere season.
Mike O'Connor
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