Strong winds are blowing snow onto the closed section of State Highway 87, near Clarks Junction. Photo: Supplied/Transport Agency
The second month of spring began with a "bitter night" in the south as "freezing conditions" descended across the island, MetService said on Wednesday morning.
The coldest temperatures were found in Southland, with Manapouri's -1.5C the lowest. Methven was not far behind on 0.3C.
Other places, including Alexandra and Timaru, got down to 1C above freezing, while Dunedin, Oamaru and Queenstown dropped to about 2C.
There were road snowfall warnings for a few regions, with the forecaster urging drivers to "take care".
As of 10.30am, Leith Saddle in Dunedin was still a chilling 1.2C.
"Tonight, however, will be a colder night for many spots with places like Te Anau and Alexandra set to drop to -3C and even Christchurch set to drop down to -1C," meteorologist John Law told RNZ.
"The cold air will be making its way northwards and even parts of the lower North Island will drop down cold enough for a touch of frost."
A road snowfall warning in place for Lewis Pass (SH7) said rain could "turn to snow for a time" on Wednesday morning, with up to 2-4cm near the summit and lesser amounts down to 400m.
Similar amounts were expected at Porters Pass (SH73), while about 1cm may accumulate at heights near Arthur's Pass (SH73).
"Cold air spreads back up the country over the next few days," a forecaster said in a MetService video update, explaining a band of cloud would bring some wet and windy weather to the south in the morning and the north later Wednesday afternoon.
Some locations on Wednesday were unlikely to reach double-digits on Wednesday, including Invercargill (a high of 8C) and Queenstown (9C).
Places Ashburton and north should enjoy temperatures of at least 11C.
"Cold night coming up… back down towards freezing," he said.
Strong winds are blowing snow onto the closed section of State Highway 87, near Clarks Junction. Photo: Supplied/Transport Agency
It was likely a different story up north, with Auckland expecting 18C and Whangārei 19C.
There was snow on the Crown Ranges overnight.
Heavy snow also closed two highways in Otago however, they have since re-opened.
State Highway 87 from Middlemarch to Outram and State Highway 85 between Morrisons and Kyeburn were closed for several hours as strong winds blew more snow onto the roads.
The Transport Agency is urging motorists to take extra care when driving in the area.
FINAL UPDATE 12:25PM
— NZ Transport Agency - Otago & Southland (@nztaos) September 30, 2025
SH85 between Morrisons and Kyeburn and SH87 between Middlemarch and Outram are now OPEN. https://t.co/sQUgEnOvrU
State Highway 87 from Middlemarch to Outram and State Highway 85 between Morrisons and Kyeburn were closed, with motorists encouraged to avoid the area or delay travel.
An ice warning was also in place for State Highway 1 from Pine Hill to Waitati.
In the North Island, there was a strong wind watch in place for Wairarapa and the Tararua District in place from 8am to 2pm Wednesday.
"West to northwest winds may approach severe gale in exposed places. Low chance of upgrading to a warning," MetService said.
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