Winter storm hits NZ: Auckland sees first snow since 1939

[Chacor]

Snow is falling again in Wellington after a short break and blues skies, and flurries of sleet have begun to hit Auckland.

NIWA spokesperson Georgina Griffiths confirmed the flurries in Auckland as snow.

She says snow is defined as a hexagonal flake and does not depend on whether it settles.

It is the first time snow has fallen in Auckland since 1939.

Snow flakes fell to ground level on the Bombay Hills and there were also reports of flurries in the CBD.

Cold and powerful winds gusts are wrecking havoc in the Auckland region, and the Fire Service isn't expecting it to end any time soon.

A number of homes in the suburb of Pakuranga have been severely damaged.

Harry Turner from the Fire Service, says in one case, a 20 metre tall tree crashed through two bedrooms.

He says if anyone had been in the rooms, they'd have been killed.

Weather hazardous for motorists

In another incident, four people, including a mother and her two children, were taken to hospital after a tree crashed into their home in Pakuranga Heights.

Meanwhile, the Rimutaka Hill Road is still closed and around two dozen vehicles have been abandoned.

The Desert Road, the alternative route around Ohakune, and the Napier-Taupo road are also shut.

Power has been restored to more than 4000 households in the lower North Island after severe weather caused trees to fall onto power lines causing power cuts in the region.

Powerco Network, who supply the area's electricity, says further snow is expected this afternoon which could cause further damage.

Powerco Network Operations Manager Phil Marsh says there are currently around 1000 properties without power in the area, with a majority of those in South Taranaki.

In the South Island, the unprecedented weather bomb took out vital city infrastructure in Dunedin and nearby areas this morning.

Flights cancelled down south

The city's schools were closed and no flights were operating through Queenstown and Invercargill airports.

Courts haven't opened today and some businesses have shut up shop for the day.

Just three weeks ago Christchurch had a record snow fall, and now it's facing another blizzard. Snow started falling around 10pm last night, blanketing the city by early morning.

But the dangerous driving conditions and freezing temperatures, didn't stop hardy Cantabrians making their way into work.

"It's going very well," says Christchurch resident Jackie Broadbent. "Making good time, snow isn't too sticky."

Christchurch's snow dumping less than last month's

Residents say this snow fall isn't as heavy as the blizzard three weeks ago.

"Not as bad, no, not as bad," says Anne Birmingham.

"Not as worse as July," says Scott Matheson.

The South Island is preparing for a heavy snowfall until at least midweek.

Christchurch Airport remains open, but there have been no domestic flights out, and power has been cut to a few hundred customers in the region overnight, and Orion is working as fast as they can to get it restored.

All primary and intermediate schools are closed from Palmerston to Mosgiel, along with some Canterbury schools.

Red Zone work halted

Contractors are being stopped from working in Christchurch's CBD Red Zone because of snow and ice. Access to the CBD will be re-assessed later this morning.

The snow's at least 10cm deep in parts of Dunedin, and seven centimetres near Clutha in Southland, prompting warnings for locals to stay indoors.

New Zealand Post spokesman Duncan Burman says thousands of letters are unable to be delivered.

New Zealand Post hopes to have services back up and running as soon as possible.

Read more: http://www.3news.co.nz/Snow-confirmed-i ... z1V5Gfdnqc

[Chacor]

The cold winter in New Zealand continues as a new blast of cold weather grips much of the country Sunday. Snow is currently falling in the South Island and in southern parts of the North Island too, with the northern city of Auckland seeing its first snow since 1939. Sunday saw Wellington’s greatest snowfall for 30 years.

July 22 – 25th was previously the coldest snap since 1995, with snowfall causing disruption across the South Island and some parts of the North Island. Today’s snowfall been more widespread, however, and snow was reported down to sea level in the city of Wellington and other parts of the North Island. The New Zealand Met Serviceis predicting falls of 20 – 35 cm above 300 m in the Wellington area, with lesser falls continuing at lower levels.

http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/ ... 31934.html

[Chacor]

New Zealand Met Service:

"The important thing to note is that a large mass of Antarctic air covers almost all of New Zealand."

Issued: 6:12pm Monday 15 August 2011 [Note: NZ is UTC+12 hours]


SPECIAL WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHLAND,AUCKLAND,WAIKATO,COROMANDEL PENINSULA,
WAITOMO,BAY OF PLENTY ROTORUA,TAUMARUNUI,TAUPO,TAIHAPE,GISBORNE,HAWKES BAY,
WAIRARAPA,TARANAKI,WANGANUI,MANAWATU,WELLINGTON,MARLBOROUGH,NELSON,BULLER,
WESTLAND,FIORDLAND,CANTERBURY,OTAGO,SOUTHLAND
ISSUED BY METSERVICE AT 06:

12pm Monday 15-Aug-2011
UPDATED AT 6PM TO INCLUDE THE RISK OF SNOW ABOUT HIGHER ROADS IN
AUCKLAND
POLAR OUTBREAK SET TO CONTINUE UNTIL MIDWEEK
In Auckland, a band of active showers is likely to bring snow down to
about 200 metres tonight, possibly affecting some higher roads.
Bitterly cold conditions are forecast to continue through to Thursday,
with significant snowfalls for southern and eastern parts of the South Island,
as well as southern and central parts of the North Island.
This polar outbreak is expected to cause further significant disruption to both
the transport network and to the farming community, particularly in view of its
severity and duration.
See latest Severe Weather Warning, Watch and Outlook for more details.
It should be noted, however, that snowfalls should ease on Wednesday
and are
then unlikely to continue down to sea level.

The next Special Weather Advisory will be issued by 11:00am Tuesday 16-Aug-2011

Contact person : Heath Gullery or Mads Naeraa