The South Island Friday to Sunday (11th to 13th October)

It's the final few days of the season for South Island resorts, and they're shaping up to be a real humdinger. After a slow first half that relied heavily on snow machines, August brought a lot of snow to Canterbury, and September brought a lot of snow to the Southern Lakes. The snowpack skyrocketed during this time, giving us some of the best late-season conditions we've seen in years. On top of all this came a fresh dusting of 3-5cm on Wednesday, leaving the slopes in a tip-top state for closing weekend.

The weather will remain mostly fine and cold on Friday and Saturday, apart from some cloud about the Southern Lakes at times and some light afternoon snow showers there on Saturday. Northwest winds will also be quite brisk in exposed areas.

Then, on Sunday, a light, but cold southerly will spread snow showers up the South Island during the morning. Just a dusting is expected throughout the day for the Southern Lakes, interspersed with sunny spells, and 5-15cm or more will accumulate in Canterbury.

The North Island Friday to Sunday (11th to 13th October)

After a slow season, Mt Ruapehu improved marginally after a little fresh snow over the past couple of days. The upper slopes of Whakapapa and Turoa will remain open until October 27th, and high-level snow showers on Friday and Saturday afternoons should enhance things a little more. Friday's showers could get quite heavy due to thunderstorms in the area, while Saturdays will be light. Sunday will see even more improvement with persistent high-level snowfall from late morning onwards. All this snow will fall as the wet stuff on the lower slopes, negatively affecting Whakapapa’s Happy Valley, which is set to close on Sunday after a very challenging season.

Next week, a cold southerly front is expected to bring significant snowfall to the South Island from Tuesday into early Wednesday, with the largest totals likely in Canterbury. Afterwards, a few days of calm and sunny weather will offer great conditions for anyone looking to hike and enjoy the last of the season's snow.

Mt Ruapehu will also receive a couple of good top-ups during the first half of next week, with snow reaching low levels. Mind you, only the upper slopes of Whakapapa and Turoa will still be operating.

This is the final forecast of the season. Thanks so much for following. See you next season!

Mike O'Connor

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