Heavy snow may fall in Canterbury and is set to affect highways further south later this week.
MetService has issued a heavy snow watch for Canterbury, south of the Rangitata River, the Queenstown Lakes District and Central Otago from 9am to 5pm on Thursday.
Periods of heavy snow were possible above 600 metres, where amounts may approach warning criteria, the forecaster advised today.
Snow was possible as low as 400 metres in some places.
Meanwhile, road snowfall warnings are in place for the Crown Range Road, linking Wānaka and Queenstown, and the Lindis Pass (State Highway 8) in Central Otago.
Lindis Pass (SH8)
From 6am to 5pm on Thursday: Expect 10cm to 20cm of snow about the summit with lower amounts to 400 metres.
Crown Range Road
From 7am to 6pm on Thursday: Between 5cm to 10cm of snow is forecast about the summit, with lower amounts to 600 metres.
Heavy snow blanketed Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes areas last weekend, closing state highways in Otago but proving a boon for ski fields.
- APL
