MetService warns of snow, gales and travel disruption as 'very active' front sweeps New Zealand on Sunday

HouGarden New Zealand, 25 September — MetService meteorologist Heather Keats described Sunday's incoming front as "very active" and "fast-moving", cautioning that conditions could get "really interesting" for anyone on the road during the school holiday period.

"Very active, fast-moving front, so we're likely to see sort of brief bursts of heavy rain with it. Also, some brief heavy snow. So we're talking about snow down to above 500m for Southland, Otago, and Canterbury on Sunday. Strong winds as well," Keats said.

She identified the wind as the standout feature of the system, warning it would affect a broad swathe of the country. "That's going to be the standout feature. So all the way from Cape Reinga down Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa, the central North Island, Marlborough Sounds, Kaikōura, all the way down to Dunedin, Clutha and the Chatham Islands," she said.

MetService told 1News that formal watches and warnings may be issued on Sunday. "We might see a heavy snow watch for the South Island, and we're likely to see road snowfall warnings associated with that," Keats said. Wind watches and warnings are also expected for higher passes, with southwesterlies forecast for the South Island, westerlies further north, and northwesterlies for the central North Island.

Keats said the front's speed means heavy rain is unlikely to trigger its own watches or warnings, but she urged travellers to plan ahead regardless. "But if you're traveling, it could be problematic. So it's definitely going to be a day to plan if you're travelling for school holidays," she said.

The severe weather is expected to be short-lived. Calmer, more settled conditions are forecast to return from Monday, Keats said.

Sunday's front follows a week of sharply fluctuating temperatures. Overnight readings earlier in the week dropped well below zero in parts of the North Island: Matea recorded -5C at 5am, while Taupō fell to -2C, according to Keats. "It was freezing overnight. So there were frosts everywhere," she said.

Temperatures are expected to recover over Saturday before the front arrives. Keats said eastern South Island locations including Ashburton and Timaru could reach 21C on Saturday — 6C above the seasonal average. Hawke's Bay is forecast to reach 23C on Sunday, before plunging to 3C overnight — a swing of 20 degrees within a single day.

Saturday itself is also expected to bring unsettled weather. Keats described conditions as "pretty active", with showers and possible thunder moving up the South Island through a westerly flow, and showers forecast across both islands. She noted a low risk of thunderstorms on the West Coast in the morning, with isolated afternoon storms possible in the North Island driven by daytime heating.