A Little Snow for the South with Weak Cold Fronts, More Snow for Mt Ruapehu

New Zealand Daily Snow

By Mike O'Connor, Meteorologist Posted 11 hours ago July 15, 2025

Summary

Cold air has finally reached NZ, bringing fresh snow to the Southern Lakes and Mt Ruapehu. More snow is expected through Friday, with Ruapehu likely to get 20–50 cm up high. Light snow is also due for Canterbury and the Southern Lakes, with widespread snowmaking possible over the weekend.

Short Term Forecast

Forecast for Wednesday 16th & Thursday 17th July

On Wednesday, skies will clear over the Southern Lakes and Canterbury, with southwest winds shifting northwest. Thursday stays mostly sunny and calm, but northern Canterbury may see increasing cloud later in the day as winds change.

Forecast for Friday 18th to Sunday 20th July

A weak cold front brings light snow to the Southern Lakes on Friday night and spreads into Canterbury on Saturday, delivering 5–10 cm of powder before clearing later in the day. Sunday brings calm, clear, and cold winter conditions across the South Island.

Extended Forecast

A cold front on Monday may bring light snow to the Southern Lakes and possibly more to Canterbury and Mt Ruapehu, though forecast confidence is low. From Tuesday to Friday, cold Antarctic southerlies will deliver small but high-quality snowfalls, with Ruapehu likely to see the best of it and ideal snowmaking conditions.