I'm not one to boast....but this was predicted as a possibility a week ago! Someone get Coro pics up for us office bound folk please! I'm wondering about Little Barrier Island too, approx 900m asl at the top of that, about the same as Moehau and Te Aroha
Roads remained closed across this afternoon after snow and heavy rain across the central North Island and East Coast.
Power lines in Gisborne were damaged and the area is now reliant on generation from Waikaremoana until it can be reconnected to the national grid, transpower said.
Overnight, around 100 motorists packed in to the Te Pohue Hotel on the Napier-Taupo Road after a logging truck jack-knifed about 10km from the summit blocking the road.
People travelling on a 52-seater Intercity coach, a smaller bus and in numerous cars were taken to the hotel at about 7.30pm, after police rescued them from their vehicles.
Senior Sergeant Andy Sloane said Napier police called on the local four-wheel- drive club to ferry trapped motorists to Napier.
The Desert Road and the Napier-Taupo road remained closed at lunchtime today, the Automobile Association said. State Highway Two from Gisborne to Opotiki was also shut as contractors worked to clear snow and ice.
A number of other roads which were earlier closed had now re-opened, but the AA advised caution.
MetService said the snow had eased over the Central Plateau but heavy rain in the Gisborne and Hawkes Bay regions was the latest concern.
Snow had been falling to 500m in the Gisborne ranges, though this was now rising, and to 600m in the ranges of Hawkes Bay, which was quite unusual.
The latest bad weather comes 12 days after heavy snowfall in Canterbury left thousands without power, some of whom remained cut off from supplies today.
MetService spokesman Gerard Bellam told nzherald.co.nz that it was unusual to have such a prolonged spell of cold weather and for it to come so early in the winter.
"We have a had a few of these cold spells already," he said. "It has been a fairly long period of cold. You do get outbreaks, but not one after the other."
Auckland, which has escaped the worst of the weather, has been several degrees below normal. "The average for June is 15 degrees. Yesterday was 12 degrees, but with that cold southerly it will feel colder than that and more like single figures," he said.
He said the cold weather would begin to ease across the country from tomorrow.
It has certainly been a memorable couple of weeks. Save these sories up for your grandkids....
Weather disrupts North Island
23/06/2006 14:36:03
Ice, snow, wind and surface flooding in the central North Island has forced Intercity Coachlines to cancel or put off a raft of services.
It means disruption for up to 400 passengers scheduled to travel today. They are being offered a full refund, or the chance to re-book at a later date.
Services affected include those from Auckland, Tauranga, Hastings, Taupo, Rotorua, Gisborne and Wellington.
There is better news from Toll.
All its passenger and freight trains are running as normal, despite drivers reporting seeing some of the heaviest snowfalls of their careers around the centre of the North Island.
Snow falls on the Coromandel and Kaimai Ranges are not set to ease until mid afternoon. Snow has fallen to 600 metres north of Whangamata and can be quite clearly seen on Mount Te Aroha.
In Auckland at lunchtime the temperature, including wind chill, is just three degrees.
Tomorrow night's forecast low for Dunedin is expected to be minus seven degrees.
Meanwhile Gisborne residents are reliant on power from Waikaremoana this afternoon after heavy snow brought down high voltage lines on the East Cape.
Transpower Spokesman Chris Roberts says that has disconnected the region from the National Grid.
He says helicopters are being used to survey the problem, but it could be later this afternoon before the connection is fixed.
Mr Roberts says the power supply into the region should be constant, unless something goes wrong with the Waikaremoana generation.
The treacherous weather conditions in the central North Island have also disrupted mail deliveries.
Road closures mean the mail will not reach residents in Taihape, Waiouru, Raetihi and Ohakune today.
High winds and stormy weather in Gisborne and Wairoa have also made it too dangerous for posties to deliver.
Mail services on Saturday will also be affected if conditions do not improve overnight.
Saw these on the way home tonight - could they be lenicular type clouds over Auckland? Most of the books I have them much more 'perfect' with smoother features.
I recorded a max of 9.6° today, a strong cold wind to boot!
Cheers,
G
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still raining here in hawkes bay but easing to showers with heavy downpours and hail. it was raining heavy last night with some thunderstorms just before 9pm and a friend said they heard hail on their windows. good to see the sun for a bit
cheers for that wow snow down to 600 metres on the coromandel has snow fallen that low before?
Probably - there was a heavy fall on the Kaimais in 1980 which saw a few flakes even in Waihi.
TV1 News tonight has reported a dusting of snow on the Hunua ranges, not that far from Auckland city.
cheers for that wow snow down to 600 metres on the coromandel has snow fallen that low before?
Probably - there was a heavy fall on the Kaimais in 1980 which saw a few flakes even in Waihi.
TV1 News tonight has reported a dusting of snow on the Hunua ranges, not that far from Auckland city.
Table Mountain is 864m, but that's had snow on it in the past.
NZstorm wrote:Yes Brian, perhaps snowing on top of the Coromandals. Snow level over Auckland would be around 800m mark. How high are the Coromandals?
Temp at Grey Lynn 6.2C and steady rain has set in with gusty Southerly. Awful weather.
A truck driver reported sleet trying to turn to snow on the summit of 25A Kopu - Hikuaia late yesterday morning. That's about 450m in the Coromandels, I've never heard of it that low before.
Oddly it didn't seem to go that low on the Kaimai's where the road summit is 500m.
NZstorm wrote:Yes Brian, perhaps snowing on top of the Coromandals. Snow level over Auckland would be around 800m mark. How high are the Coromandals?
Temp at Grey Lynn 6.2C and steady rain has set in with gusty Southerly. Awful weather.
A truck driver reported sleet trying to turn to snow on the summit of 25A Kopu - Hikuaia late yesterday morning. That's about 450m in the Coromandels, I've never heard of it that low before.
Oddly it didn't seem to go that low on the Kaimai's where the road summit is 500m.
Funnily enough, when I was a kid on the Coromandel, I'd heard tales from oldtimers in Tairua that it had snowed along there, but it's hard to know when those guys are pulling your leg.
Have you been further south to chase yet, tgsnoopy? If so pics would be good!
Dam longhaul shift working truck drivers. I shoulda organised picking up a certain lady in Rotorua if she was keen
Hopefully I'll hear from him in the next hour and be able to hit the road. Bit late now for a jaunt through the Waikato to pick up & drop off Foggy as well. Besides that, my driving last time might have scared him too much
There was a little bit of footage of the snow on the Coromandel, as well as Mt Te Aroha. It looked really patchy with scattered 'spots'. I was tempted to drive down in the afternoon for a look, and after seeing it on TV I'm glad I didn't.
tgsnoopy wrote:
Hopefully I'll hear from him in the next hour and be able to hit the road. Bit late now for a jaunt through the Waikato to pick up & drop off Foggy as well. Besides that, my driving last time might have scared him too much
LOL Too bad I work in the weekends!
Nothing wrong with the driving either
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