Monday & Tuesday's Snowstorm

A snowstorm hit the country on Monday and Tuesday and has dumped over half a metre of powder onto the Southern Lakes. The storm has dramatically shifted the landscape there from scarcely covered to thoroughly blanketed. Although Coronet Peak received a more modest 9-20cm, things have improved massively there too.

In Canterbury, Mt Hutt exceeded expectations with over 15cm of high-quality powder. But it was the small club fields in MacKenzie Country that took the cream, with Ohau and Round Hill scoring 60cm and 30cm respectively. All the other Canterbury club fields also received a small top-up, so many of them will be on target to open in the coming weeks. We're still waiting on numbers to come in for Mt Ruapehu where a modest amount was also expected.

Forecast for Wednesday & Thursday (3rd & 4th July)

With so much powder lying around, these will be the days to get amongst it. Low cloud still lying about South Island ski fields on Wednesday will clear the Southern Lakes in the morning and mostly clear Canterbury in the afternoon as cold winds from the south ease.

There'll be nothing but sunshine on Thursday with light breezes from the south-to-southwest.

Forecast for Friday to Sunday (5th to 7th July)

Friday will be another great day, with mostly clear skies. But westerly winds will strengthen, especially over the Southern Lakes where it will kick up some cloud in the afternoon.

A fast-moving cold front will then move up the country, passing over the Southern Lakes Friday night and then over Canterbury in the early hours of Saturday before reaching Mt Ruapehu later on Saturday. The front is likely to bring between 2 to 8cm of good-quality snow to low altitudes across the country, the Queenstown ski fields likely at the upper end of the range, while the Wanaka and Canterbury ones will likely be at the lower end.

The rest of the weekend will remain partly cloudy for the Southern Lakes, but clear and sunny for Canterbury. However, cold southwest winds will be quite strong, especially on Sunday when they could reach 80-100km/h in some exposed areas. So rug up warm because wind chill will be a major factor.

The whole of next week is looking mostly fine and dry as high pressure drifts onto the country. However, the Southern Lakes may pick up a few more light snow showers on Monday the 8th of July before the cold southwesterly flow over the country finally eases over Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 10th of July. At this stage a front approaching from the west is expected to stall before reaching the country during next weekend, the 13th and 14th of July, with the weather remaining fine, but that could easily change in future forecasts.

Thanks for reading. I'll keep these forecasts coming every Monday, Wednesday & Friday throughout the southern hemisphere season.

Mike O'Connor