Snow

Snow down to 400m, about the level of Dunedin's Signal Hill, is forecast for today.

Welcome to Central Otago at the height of summer - 25degC one day, snow the next.

Snow has fallen in the South overnight, blanketing hills in the region and settling on the flat in some parts of Central Otago.

Issues with winter maintenance of skifield access roads - particularly Coronet Peak Rd - have to be solved quickly, Queenstown Lakes District Council transport manager Denis Mander says.

Heavy snow forced the closure of the Danseys Pass road this morning.

Queenstown-Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden believes the council could have done "a lot" better during this winter's polar blasts.

Chances are slim another polar blast will hit the South in the next few weeks, but the possibility of a snow storm in spring still exists, a climate scientist says.

Significant snow warnings for Otago have been lifted by MetService as the polar blast moves north.

Aucklanders excited about a few snowflakes this week should spare a thought for Adrian Hood, of Dansey Pass, who is surrounded by a metre-deep blanket of snow.

The lower North Island is feeling the full force of this week's wintry blast, with heavy snow returning to Wellington with a vengeance late this afternoon, while the South Island continues to shiver.