NZ Historic Weather Events Catalog

May 2009 Lower North Island and South Island Snow ( 2009-05-30 )

Snow fell to low levels in parts of the central and lower North Island and the South Island. Hail and strong southerly winds were also experienced. A teenager died while hunting in the snow in Canterbury. In the Waikato, four people died and three were injured in a car crash in poor weather conditions.

New Zealand

Multi Hazard

Duration: 3 days - From the 30th May to the 1st June.

Comment MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 12:27 pm 29-May-2009: Wintry spell on Sunday with snow to sea level from Southland to the Kaikoura coast and to low levels on the hills in the south of east of the North Island. Includes HEAVY SNOW WARNING for: Southland, Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough, hills of Wellington, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne, also inland areas of southern, eastern and central parts of the North Island.

Comment MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 7:59 pm 29-May-2009: Wintry spell on Sunday with snow down to sea level from Southland to the Kaikoura coast. Snow down to unusually low levels over the North Island with heavy falls expected in the south and east. Includes HEAVY SNOW WARNING for: Southland, Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough, also hills and ranges of Wellington, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Manawatu, Wanganui, Taihape, Taranaki and Taupo.

Comment MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:09 am 30-May-2009: Very cold southerly outbreak over New Zealand on Sunday. Snow down to sea level from Southland to the Kaikoura coast. Snow down to unusually low levels over the North Island with some heavy falls expected in the south and east. Includes HEAVY SNOW WARNING for: Southland, Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough, also hills and ranges of Wellington, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Manawatu, Wanganui, Taihape, Taranaki and Taupo.

Comment MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:41 pm 30-May-2009: Very cold southerly outbreak over New Zealand on Sunday. Snow down to sea level from Southland to the Kaikoura coast. Snow down to unusually low levels over the North Island with some heavy falls in the south and east. Includes HEAVY SNOW WARNING for: Southland, Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough, also the hills and ranges of Wellington, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Manawatu, Wanganui, Taihape, Taupo and Taranaki.

Comment MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:02 am 31-May-2009: Very cold southerly outbreak over New Zealand today. Snow down to near sea level from Southland to Kaikoura coast. Snow down to unusually low levels over the North Island with some heavy falls in the south and east. Includes HEAVY SNOW WARNING for: Southland, Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough, also the hills and ranges of Wellington, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Manawatu, Wanganui, Taihape, Taupo and Taranaki.

Comment MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 5:02 pm 31-May-2009: Very cold southerly outbreak over New Zealand today. Snow down to near sea level in the east of the South Island. Snow down to unusually low levels over the North Island with some heavy falls in the east. Includes HEAVY SNOW WARNING for: Canterbury, Marlborough, also the hills and ranges of Wellington, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Manawatu, Wanganui, Taihape, Taupo and Taranaki. WARNINGS NO LONGER IN FORCE: Heavy Snowfall Warnings lifted for Southland, Otago and South Canterbury.

Comment MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:26 pm 31-May-2009: Very cold southerly outbreak over New Zealand slowly easing overnight and Monday morning. Further heavy snow possible about the hills and ranges from Wellington and Wairarapa up to Gisborne. Includes HEAVY SNOW WARNING for: hills and ranges of Wellington, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne. WARNINGS NO LONGER IN FORCE: Heavy Snowfall Warnings lifted for Mid and North Canterbury, Marlborough, also the hills and ranges of Manawatu, Wanganui, Taihape, Taupo and Taranaki.

Comment MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 6:58 am 01-Jun-2009: Cold southerly flow and showers in the east of the North Island easing slowly today with snow levels rising. No further heavy snow expected. WARNINGS NO LONGER IN FORCE: Heavy Snowfall Warnings lifted for hills and ranges of Wellington, Wairarapa, Hawkes Bay and Gisborne.

Cause A strong southerly flow moved up the country, coming from almost on the ice caps.

North Island

Snow / Ice at North Island

Affected Lifeline State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupo was closed north of Te Pohue for an hour from about 8pm on the 31st due to snow and ice. The road was able to reopen after calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) was used to de-ice the road.

Affected Lifeline State Highway 2 was closed from the start of the Waioeka Gorge to 9 km south of Matawai on the night of the 31st due to snow, slips and a fallen tree. The road was re-opened at about 12:15pm on the 1st.

Comment Snow fell on the Kaimai Range on 1st June.

South Island

Multi Hazard at South Island

Comment Strong southerlies and snow showers battered the South Island on the 30th and 31st.

Snow / Ice

Comment Snow fell from Southland to Kaikoura on the 31st.

Affected Lifeline State Highway 7 through the Lewis Pass was closed to towing vehicles.

Auckland

High Wind / Gust at Auckland

Damage Several trees were brought down by bad weather in Auckland on the 31st.

Maritime / Coastal

Impact The Coastguard Northern Region received a record number of calls on the 31st, for incidents including capsized yachts, people in the water, shredded sails and vessels on the rocks.

High Wind / Gust at Waitemata Harbour

Physical Characteristic Waitemata Harbour recorded winds of nearly 50 knots (93 km/hr) on the 31st.

Waikato

Multi Hazard at Benneydale

Casualties Four people, a 29-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman, a 9-year-old girl, and a 61-year-old woman, were killed on the 31st after two cars collided on State Highway 30, 11km east of Benneydale, at about 2pm. Bad weather conditions were believed to be a major factor in the crash, with heavy rain and mist present at the time. Poor weather also prevented air ambulances from Rotorua and Taupo from flying to the scene.

A 63-year-old man incloved in the accident had to undergo surgery for his injuries. A four-year-old boy and his 10-year-old brother were also taken to hospital with injuries described as life-threatening.

Snow / Ice at Coromandel Range

Comment Snow fell on the Coromandel Range on 1st June.

Gisborne

Snow / Ice at Matawai

Physical Characteristic More than 20 cm of snow blanketed Matawai from about 5pm on the 31st.

Impact At Matawai, the hotel, coffee lounge, bar, dairy, camping ground and community hall were closed because of the snow on 1st June.

Snow / Ice at Traffords Hill

Impact Some vehicles got stuck in the snow on Traffords Hill at the end of the gorge.

Hawke's Bay

Snow / Ice at Hawke's Bay

Comment On the 31st, snow was reported in Hawke's Bay from Wairoa in the north through to Dannevirke.

Multi Hazard

Physical Characteristic Hawke's Bay recorded temperatures of around 1 degC and 2 degC on 1st June.

Snow / Ice at Elsthorpe

Comment Snow was reported at Elsthorpe.

Snow / Ice at Havelock North

Comment Snow was reported at the Triple Peaks in Havelock North.

Snow / Ice at Kaiwaka station

Comment Snow was reported at Kaiwaka.

Snow / Ice at Napier

Comment Light snow flurries were reported in central Napier at about 8:30pm and 10pm on the 31st.

Comment A Napier Hill resident of 23 years said she had never experienced snow there before.

Multi Hazard

Physical Characteristic Napier recorded a temperature of 4 degC on the 31st, with a wind chill of around 0 degC to -2 degC.

Snow / Ice at Te Mata Peak

Comment Snow fell as low as Te Mata Peak (399 m) on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Waipawa

Comment At Waipawa, light snow flurries started around mid-afternoon on the 31st, with heavier falls from 4:30pm that continued into the night.

Comment Light snow coated the hills leading out to the coast near Waipawa on the morning of the 1st.

Snow / Ice at Waipukurau

Comment Police reported blizzard-like conditions between Norsewood and Waipukurau on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Wairoa

Comment Snow was reported at Wairoa.

Snow / Ice at Mokoia

Affected Lifeline The Tangahoe Bridge on State Highway 3 was closed to heavy vehicles on 1st June.

Taranaki

Snow / Ice at Inglewood

Comment Sleet fell in Inglewood on the 31st.

High Wind / Gust at New Plymouth

Impact Two 17-year-old girls had to be rescued after they started drifting out to sea in a kayak off East End beach on the 31st. The weather conditions were atrocious, with howling southerlies.

Snow / Ice at Stratford

Comment Sleet fell in Stratford on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Urenui

Impact A car lost control and crashed at Urenui on a road with black ice.

Manawatu-Wanganui

Snow / Ice at Desert Road

Affected Lifeline The Desert Road (State Highway 1) between Waiouru and Rangipo was closed on the morning of the 1st due to heavy ice on parts of the road.

Fog

Affected Lifeline Fog on the Desert Road made driving conditions difficult on the evening of the 1st. Visibility fell to just metres around the summit of the road.

Multi Hazard

Physical Characteristic The Desert Road recorded a minimum temperature of -4 degC on the 1st.

Snow / Ice at Norsewood

Comment Light snow flurries fell at Norsewood from about 1:30pm on the 31st, followed by a heavy fall for an hour from 4pm.

Physical Characteristic Most of the ground was covered in about 5 cm of snow.

Snow / Ice at Palmerston North

Comment Light snow fell in Palmerston North on 1st June.

Multi Hazard at Waiouru

Physical Characteristic Waiouru recorded a temperature of 0 degC at lunchtime on the 31st.

Snow / Ice

Comment Waiouru experienced snow flurries on the 31st.

Wellington

Multi Hazard at Wellington

Comment Wellington experiened bitterly cold winds, showers and hail.

Snow / Ice

Comment Snow dusted the hills around Wellington on the 31st and fell to sea level along the south coast. Snowfalls were also reported on the Kapiti Coast.

High Wind / Gust

Physical Characteristic Wellington had southerly gales gusting close to 120 km/hr on the 31st.

Hail

Comment Heavy hail fell around Wellington mid afternoon on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Johnsonville

Comment Snow fell in gutters and on hilltops around Johnsonville and Whitby. Falls were also reported on the Kapiti Coast.

Snow / Ice at Karori

Comment Snow fell in gutters and on hilltops around Karori.

Snow / Ice at Khandallah

Comment Snow fell in gutters and on hilltops around Khandallah.

Hail at Lower Hutt

Comment Hail fell at Lower Hutt on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Masterton

Comment Some parts of Masterton received a light fall of snow on the 31st.

Multi Hazard

Physical Characteristic Masterton Airport recorded a minimum temperature of 0 degC early on the 31st.

Physical Characteristic Masterton Airport recorded a maximum temperature of 7 degC on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Mount Bruce

Comment Paddocks and hills surrounding State Highway 2 at Mount Bruce were coated in snow.

Snow / Ice at Porirua

Comment Snow was reported at Porirua.

Snow / Ice at Rimutaka Hill

Affected Lifeline There was snow and ice on the Rimutaka Hill Road on State Highway 2.

Physical Characteristic Rimutaka Hill had about 10 cm of snow on the night of the 31st.

Multi Hazard

Physical Characteristic At the top of the Rimutaka Hill, a temperature of 1 degC was recorded at midday on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Upper Hutt

Comment Snow was reported at Upper Hutt.

Multi Hazard at Wellington City

Physical Characteristic Wellington recorded a temperature of 3.7 degC at lunchtime on the 31st, with a wind chill of -5 degC.

Physical Characteristic Wellington recorded a minimum temperature of 3.5 degC on the 31st.

Comment Wellington's CBD experienced snow flurries on the 31st - the first in 14 years.

Snow / Ice at Whitby

Comment Snow fell in gutters and on hilltops around Whitby.

Marlborough

Snow / Ice at Blenheim

Comment Snow flurries were reported in Blenheim on the 31st.

Multi Hazard

Physical Characteristic Blenheim recorded a minimum temperature of -4.5 degC overnight on the 31st/1st.

Physical Characteristic Blenheim recorded a temperature of -4 degC at 8am on the 1st.

Snow / Ice at Molesworth station

Physical Characteristic Molesworth Station received 7-10 cm of snow on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Mount Adde

Comment The Mt Adde farm in the Awatere Valley received a thick coating of snow on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Picton

Comment Snow flurries were reported in Picton on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Wither Hills

Comment Wither Hills received a fall of snow mid-afternoon on the 31st.

Canterbury

Snow / Ice at Canterbury

Comment Snow settled to about 200m around Canterbury on the 31st.

Physical Characteristic Northern Canterbury recorded 5-10 cm of snow on the 31st.

Multi Hazard at Arthur's Pass

Physical Characteristic Arthur's Pass recorded a minimum temperature of -5.8 degC on the 1st.

Multi Hazard at Christchurch

Physical Characteristic Christchurch recorded a temperature of 2 degC at 12pm on the 31st, with a wind chill of -6 degC.

Physical Characteristic Christchurch recorded a maximum temperature of 5 degC on the 31st.

Comment Hail and sleet fell in Christchurch on the 31st.

Multi Hazard at Kaikoura

Physical Characteristic Kaikoura recorded a maximum temperature of 4 degC on the 31st.

Multi Hazard at Mount Hutt Skifield

Comment Mount Hutt Skifield opened on the 30th - its earliest opening in 15 years.

Impact Mount Hutt Skifield was closed for the day on the 31st due to gale force winds and poor visibility.

Physical Characteristic Mount Hutt Skifield received 5-10 cm of snow overnight on the 30th/31st.

Snow / Ice at Mount Peel

Casualties An 18-year-old boy died after apparently slipping on snow and tumbling down a 200m slope while hunting in The Blue Slips area, near Mt Peel, on the afternoon of the 31st. His body was found at 5:30pm.

Multi Hazard at Oxford

Comment At Oxford, blizzard conditions were reported on the 31st, with moderate snow falls and high winds.

Snow / Ice at Springfield

Physical Characteristic Springfield had about 8 cm of snow on the ground on the 31st.

Multi Hazard at Timaru

Physical Characteristic Timaru recorded a maximum temperature of 6 degC on the 31st.

Otago

Snow / Ice at Otago

Physical Characteristic Eastern Otago recorded 5-10 cm of snow on the 31st.

Snow / Ice at Dunedin

Physical Characteristic Dunedin recorded a maximum temperature of 7 degC on the 31st.

References

Headline: North Islanders will be treated to more bitterly cold weather.: www.3news.co.nz, Source: RadioLIVE, 31 May 2009, 10:13am.
Headline: Cold blast expected over next 12 hours.: www.3news.co.nz, Source: 3 News, 31 May 2009, 5:12pm.
Headline: De-icing keeps Napier-Taupo Highway open.: www.3news.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 1 June 2009, 8:39pm.
Headline: Teenager dies hunting in South Canterbury.: www.3news.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 2 June 2009, 9:43am.
Headline: Winter hits early with heavy snow.: www.hbtoday.co.nz, 1 June 2009.
Headline: 'Frosty, settled' weather ahead.: www.hbtoday.co.nz, Source: Roger Maroney, 2 June 2009.
Headline: Queen's Birthday Weekend chill forecast.: www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 29 May 2009, 12:36pm.
Headline: Polar weather for holiday.: www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 30 May 2009, 10:20am.
Headline: Weather blamed for crash that kills four.: www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 30 May 2009, 5:12pm.
Headline: Winds and poor visibility close Mt Hutt today.: www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 31 May 2009, 8:20am.
Headline: Cold snap moves up country.: www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 31 May 2009, 8:32am.
Headline: Cold snap moves north.: www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 31 May 2009, 5:08pm.
Headline: Weather factor in crash.: www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 31 May 2009, 6:12pm.
Headline: Desert Road closed.: www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 1 June 2009, 2:08pm.
Headline: Wintry blast moves up NZ, bringing bitter cold.: www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: Alice Neville, NZ Herald staff and WeatherWatch, 31 May 2009, 1:16pm.
Headline: Weather adds to grim toll.: www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: Isaac Davison, 2 June 2009, 4:00am.
Headline: Winter's icy chill sign of things to come.: www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: Isaac Davison and Alanah May Eriksen, 2 June 2009, 4:00am.
Headline: Young man dies in fall while hunting tahr alone.: www.odt.co.nz, 3 June 2009, 5:00am.
Headline: North Island motorists warned of severe weather conditions.: www.radionz.co.nz, 31 May, 5:08pm.
Headline: Dangerous roads as icy blast heads north.: www.radionz.co.nz, 31 May, 9:40pm.
Headline: Fog blanketing part of Desert Road.: www.radionz.co.nz, 1 June 2009, 6:13pm.
Headline: Four killed in car crash.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 30 May 2009, 3:22pm.
Headline: Cold snap hits south, moves north.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Chris Schulz, 31 May 2009, 4:26pm.
Headline: Wintry conditions close roads.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 1 June 2009, 9:14am.
Headline: Alpine blasts go downtown.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Dominion Post, Kay Blundell, 1 June 2009, 6:00am.
Headline: White stuff heralds the coming of winter.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Marlborough Express, Jo Gilbert and Fairfax, 1 June 2009, 1:13pm.
Headline: Perfect early opening to ski season.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: The Press, Paul Gorman, 1 June 2009, 6:00am.
Headline: Teenagers lucky to be alive: Howling gales push their kayak offshore.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Taranaki Daily News, Glenn McLean, 1 June 2009, 6:00am.
Headline: Hundreds hit slopes for big weekend.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Taranaki Daily News, Glenn McLean, 2 June 2009, 5:00am.
Headline: It's official, winter is here.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Taranaki Daily News, Fairfax, 2 June 2009, 5:00am.
Headline: 'Unusual' chill set to ease.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: The Timaru Herald, Al Williams and Fairfax, 1 June 2009, 6:00am.
Headline: Death at Mt Peel.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: The Timaru Herald, 2 June 2009, 5:00am.
Headline: Helpers at crash praised.: www.stuff.co.nz, Source: The Waikato Times, Belinda Feek, 1 June 2009, 1:03pm.
Headline: Warning for boaties to check forecast.: tvnz.co.nz, Source: Newstalk ZB, 31 May 2009, 9:26pm.
Headline: Wintry blast coats some Masterton streets with snow.: www.times-age.co.nz, Source: Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 June 2009.
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