Surprise spring snow for South Island by Steph Ball
It may be the start of spring in New Zealand, but the arrival of a wintry blast on Saturday brought some surprise snow to the country’s South Island.
Strong winds and a sudden snowstorm disrupted Queenstown on Saturday, closing the Lindis Pass and the airport, and causing disruption to what is the opening weekend of the school holidays. The snow, not typical for the time of year, also took farmers by surprise with the lambing season having just begun.
On Saturday, up to 31mm (1.22 inches) of rain fell at Queenstown Aerodrome, with 20mm (0.8 inches) of this falling in a 3 hourly period.
The New Zealand Met Service has issued a severe weather warning for the week ahead, with more stormy weather expected. Several weather fronts are forecast to cross the country during the next few days bringing heavy rain and gale force winds.
As these weather fronts clear, winds are expected to turn to a colder southerly direction. This will bring a risk of further snow to the hills and ranges of the lower South Island.
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