South Otago and coastal regions were the worst hit by yesterday's Southern winter wallop.
Roads were extremely hazardous as South Otago experienced snow, sleet, rain and hail yesterday morning and officials warned last night that freezing overnight could make roads treacherous.
South to southwest gales were expected to reach severe levels at times, with gusts of up to 120kmh, but visibility remained good and police said most drivers drove to conditions.
Police assisted at three locations in South Otago on Friday morning.
A southbound truck and trailer jackknifed and came to a halt on State Highway 1 at Kaihiku Hill, about 14km west of Balclutha, causing traffic to back up.
Trucks were backed up at Stony Creek and at Waipahi, on State Highway 1, a truck's trailer tipped.
The cab remained upright and the driver was not injured but it took police an hour and-a-half to clear the scene.
State Highway 93, Clinton to Mataura, was closed by snow and ice but reopened in the afternoon as the snow melted.
And Mt Stuart-Hillend was impassable, with up to 10cm of snow on the road and drifts of up to 50cm in some places.
The threat of severe black ice prompted the Transport Agency to close State Highway 6 from Five Rivers to Kingston from 8.30pm yesterday.
Up to 30cm of snow fell and temperatures were expected to plummet.
The heavy snow and low visibility caused disruptions at Queenstown Airport, where several inbound and outbound flights were cancelled, diverted or turned back.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council advised chains were to be fitted on the Crown Range Rd and skifield access roads, but Queenstown skifields should be pumping today, with ''knee-deep powder'' at the Remarkables.
NZSki brand communications manager Tracey Ha said 45cm of snow fell on the field in the 36 hours to yesterday afternoon, while about 10cm had fallen at Coronet Peak.
Bad weather closed Cardrona Alpine Resort yesterday morning and the skifield reported ''wind-drift powder'' everywhere.
Treble Cone Skifield near Wanaka opened yesterday morning after receiving 20cm of snow in the previous 24 hours.
PowerNet's network in parts of Otago and Southland has taken a battering over the past two days.
An estimated 1000 customers face disruptions to their electricity supplies.
The company said in a statement staff had dealt with 327 separate incidents by midday yesterday, caused by lightning, gale-force winds and airborne debris.
