Weather

Otago's weather is expected to return to normal over the next two months, with an occasional cold blast providing variation, the MetService's seasonal forecast says.

Weather forecasters and emergency service workers are warning Dunedin residents to brace themselves for more ice on the way to work this morning after a heavy frost overnight resulted in several crashes yesterday.

Sleet, showers and strong southwesterlies hit Dunedin yesterday, leading to long queues of traffic trying to negotiate the northern motorway out of the city.

Snow showers are expected to near sea level in Otago today as a cold southerly flow sweeps over the South Island.

As the big cleanup from last week's storms continued today, police formally identified the body of Kerry Michael Witt, swept to his death in a swollen creek in the Bay of Islands.

Dunedin might have had twice its normal rainfall for July, but it was still the driest main centre as several storms hit the country causing major damage.

Coastal Otago's long wet spell ended on Saturday as Dunedin experienced its first dry day in nearly a fortnight.

P&O Cruises has confirmed injuries including a fractured pelvis and broken ribs were suffered by passengers on a turbulent journey on the cruise ship Pacific Sun.

Wet, windy weather is forecast to return to parts of the North Island over the weekend, but no repeat of this week's widespread havoc is expected.

Residents from 10 of 15 houses evacuated after this week's storms caused a major landslip in an Auckland suburb returned to their homes today.