Winter may be just around the corner, but the snow is already here for parts of the South.
Residents woke to subzero temperatures across the region yesterday.
Mid Dome, in Southland, was at -6.5degC about 7.15am, the Crown Range Rd was -3.5degC, and on Dunedin’s Swampy Summit it was -2.4degC.
In the deep South, Invercargill, received flurries of snow and hail throughout yesterday and the Milford road was closed.
NZ Transport Agency Milford road alliance manager Kevin Thompson said convoys made their way in and out of Milford Sound yesterday afternoon.
He said the afternoon convoy was largely made up of Milford tourist operations staff changing over shifts, plus a few tourists with camper vans and rental vehicles.
The road was expected to reopen about 9am today.
Areas further north also experienced a taste of winter.
Light to moderate snowfalls settled from about Clinton south, making driving conditions challenging in some areas, and some rural roads were closed.
Snow settled in Invercargill during the morning.
The Clutha District Council reported logging trucks getting stuck in snow in southern parts of the district, and Owaka Valley Rd was closed.
State Highway 93 from Clinton to Mataura was also affected, and drivers were advised to proceed with caution.
High country areas in West Otago also had some snow on the ground but the roads were passable.
The wintry blast was a welcome sight for Queenstown skifields, as 10cm of snow fell at Coronet Peak, 18cm at The Remarkables.
On the other side of the Crown Range 8cm was recorded at the Cardrona Alpine Resort and 5cm at Treble Cone.
Cardrona is scheduled to open in just over three weeks, on June 12, followed by Coronet Peak on June 19 and The Remarkables and Treble Cone on June 26.
The weather is expected to remain cold today as an unsettled southwest flow moves over New Zealand, but it was expected to ease on Thursday as a ridge of high pressure moved on to the country from the Tasman Sea.
The transport agency recommends motorists should check road conditions before starting their journey because conditions could change quickly.
