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Much of Aotearoa is blanketed by snow after a freezing night and motorists are being urged to drive carefully
The country awoke to single-digit temperatures across both islands, with Christchurch a chilly 2 degrees and Gisborne just 5 degrees.
What you need to know
- Gisborne is currently under a heavy snow warning with the district council warning snowdrifts could disrupt travel and damage trees and powerlines.
- Some flights into Wellington have been cancelled due to high winds
- Severe weather watches for large swathes of the country
- Several roads in the South Island have been closed due to snow
11.12am - Christchurch can expect wintery showers containing hail and sleet - and Wellington may get a taste too.
"Christchurch and Wellington are often borderline cities for snow and New Zealand's temperate ocean waters that surround us help melt snow flurries that may be falling near the coast" says Weatherwatch.
11.06am - Ten stranded travellers and their families have been taken in by Waiouru Welcome Inn after snow closed the Desert Rd.
10.15am - The heavy snow warning has lifted for Marlborough. MetService advises the risk of heavy snow has passed.
Strong wind warnings have also lapsed for Nelson, Buller,Westland, Kapiti-Horowhenua and Kaikoura Coast.
10.09am - Gisborne has been issued a strong wind watch and Hawke's Bay a strong wind warning.
MetService is also warning Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Kapiti-Horowhenua, Manawatu, Taihape, Tararua, Wairarapa, Whanganui, Wellington could all see heavy snow.
In the Tararua and Remutaka Ranges a further 5 - 10 cm of snow could fall on top of the already heavy dumping of snow the mountains have received.
8.28am - The Desert Rd - State Highway 1- has closed between Rangipo and Taihape. State Highway 4 National Park has also been closed, meaning motorists face an overall four to five-hour detour.
8.22am - Although Aotearoa is shivering this morning, Tuesday is slated to warm up, with westerlies moving across the country bringing milder temperatures with them.
8am - Temperatures will be "well below normal" by several degrees in many places, even during the warmest parts of the day, reports Weatherwatch.
Farmers are being encouraged to check the temperatures in their regions as windchill is expected to be rough on newborn lambs and calves.
Overnight temperatures will drop below zero, causing frost in some areas.
7.35am - A slew of roads have been closed across the South Island and motorists are being urged to take extra care as snow blankets the region.
Arthurs Pass, Porters Pass, and Lewis Pass are all closed and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport says anyone driving should leave extra space between their vehicle and the one in front - and watch out for black ice.
The mountain safety council is also warning people to stay away from mountains as the dumping of snow will likely be wet - increasing the risk of avalanches.
7.30am - All Cook Strait ferries have been cancelled, and there are swathes of power outages across Wellington. At least six flights into the capital have been canceled and more have been delayed.
Anyone flying in or out of the capital on Monday is urged to check the Wellington airport departures board for the latest information.
7.10am - It's possible it could snow down to 200m in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay.
For the central and lower North Island, it's expected gale-force winds will tear across Auckland, Whanganui and Taranaki.
Wellington can anticipate windspeeds of around 120km/h - with no respite until at least 11am.
Further south is no better with heavy snowfall expected in Marlborough and Canterbury - also to about 200m.
The Tararua and Remutaka Ranges will also get snow - and it's forecast to be heavy. Around 15cm to 20cm of snow is anticipated on Remutaka Hill Rd with even more in the ranges.
Anyone travelling on Monday is urged to check MetService's weather warnings and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport to ensure they will be able to complete their journey safely.
