Winter still has some bite left, with snowfall expected across the central South Island from this afternoon and rockfall closing a section of Gisborne state highway as a cold southerly front spreads up the country.
MetService has issued several road snowfall warnings for alpine passes. Porters Pass (SH73) could see 10 to 15cm about the summit from 6pm tonight, easing to light showers into Sunday evening, while nearby Arthur's Pass (SH73) could get 2 to 5cm from this evening until midday Sunday. Lewis Pass (SH7) could see 2 to 5cm down to 400m from late tonight, with sleety showers into Sunday evening.
Warnings are also in place for the Desert Road (SH1), where 3 to 6cm could settle about the summit from Sunday morning, and the Napier-Taupō Road (SH5), where 1 to 2cm may accumulate from Sunday evening.
Further south, Lindis Pass (SH8) and the Crown Range Road were forecast to pick up 1 to 2cm above 800m through Saturday.
Section of SH35 closed overnight after rockfall
NZTA said a stretch of State Highway 35 between Waiau Rd and Anaura Rd, north of Mangatuna, would be closing overnight after heavy rain caused rockfall.
The road will be closed from 9pm today and will reopen at 6am tomorrow.
NZTA crews have spent part of today clearing that rockfall, but as a precaution the road will be closed during night hours.
Abseiling crews would be onsite tomorrow checking for any more loose rocks.
"While the road will reopen at 6am, there will be some stop/go traffic management during the day as abseilers work in the area," an NZTA spokesperson said.
Motorists should also expect the possibility of further short-notice closures if more material comes loose.
In other parts of the region, drivers were urged to continue driving to the conditions and to be alert for further debris or slips.Crews are continuing to monitor the region's state highways, including Waioweka Gorge, and are on standby ready to respond to issues around the region.
Cold outbreak to linger
MetService meteorologist Gerard Bellam said the cold outbreak was driven by two systems, with wind watches around Cook Strait and Taranaki, and a rain watch for the Wairoa district, where a low northeast of the North Island was directing an east to southeast flow onto the country.
"We've got a good cold, wintry outbreak," Bellam said. "These temperatures are still going to be below average for this time of year."
He said 135mm of rain had already fallen in the hill country south of Gisborne from a separate low tracking away to the east.
Overnight lows in the South Island were not extreme, with Christchurch expected to drop to 2C tonight and Dunedin to 3C, but Bellam said conditions would turn sharply colder as skies cleared in the days to come.
"I'm seeing Monday morning in Christchurch a minus one, and colder down further south," he said, pointing to lows around -6C in some inland spots.
The low was expected to move away to the east on Sunday, allowing strong southerlies to spread across much of the country.
Snowfall warnings were in place for the Desert Road, where 3 to 6cm could settle about the summit from Sunday morning, and the Napier-Taupō Road, where 1 to 2cm may accumulate from Sunday evening.
Motorists urged to take care
NZTA urged motorists to plan ahead and travel with care, warning drivers to check conditions before setting out, especially on inland and alpine routes.
"In winter driving conditions where traction is affected, motorists are urged to reduce their speeds, increase their following distances, avoid sudden braking or turning movements and to stay as visible as possible," a spokesperson said.
The agency said its contractors would monitor state highways and be ready to clear snow, or close and restrict travel where necessary. Following the snow, icy conditions are expected in many places from tomorrow as freezing conditions persist.
Bellam said frosts would spread into the North Island through Tuesday and Wednesday, with Auckland and Coromandel potentially affected later in the week.
Full list of weather warnings and watches
Heavy Rain Watch
Wairoa District - 24 hours from 3am Sunday to 3am Monday
Strong WInd Watch
Taranaki north of Hawera and west of Whangamomona - 12 hours from 6am to 6pm Sunday
Wellington, the Marlborough Sounds and the Kaikoura Coast about and north of Clarence - 12 hours from 12am Saturday to 12pm Sunday
Road Snowfall Warnings
Napier-Taupo Road (SH5) - 11 hours from 7pm Sunday to 6am Monday
Desert Road (SH1) - 22 hours from 8am Sunday to 6am Monday
Lewis Pass (SH7) - 15 hours from 9pm Saturday to 12pm Sunday
Arthur's Pass (SH73) - 18 hours from 6pm Saturday to 12pm Sunday
Porters Pass (SH73) - 21 hours from 6pm Saturday to 3pm Sunday
Lindis Pass (SH8) - 6 hours from 12pm to 6pm Saturday
Crown Range Road - 6 hours from 10am to 4pm Saturday
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