Snow forecast

After the coldest and snowiest stretch of winter last week, there’s some settled weather in the forecast for anyone heading to the ski slopes.

South Island

A storm moving in from the Tasman Sea is set to deliver some fresh powder to the South Island’s ski fields from Thursday night into Saturday. This latest round of snow will not be nearly as significant as last week’s impressive bursts, however. 

If you are in the Queenstown area, the pick of the weekend for skiing and snowboarding is Sunday. Further north in Canterbury’s high country, snow will end late on Saturday but begin again later on Sunday, perhaps giving a brief window to hit the slopes. After snow ends late Sunday, the South Island may have several days of settled weather early next week, yielding favourable snow sport conditions.

North Island

On the North Island, some snow will develop on Mt Ruapehu late on Friday before tapering off midday on Saturday. Sunday looks fabulous at Whakapapa and Turoa. The North Island will benefit from a period of tranquillity in the early and middle week next week. 

Snow base change 11 August 2016

Extended Outlook

Another storm could approach late in the week or next weekend, bringing some stormier conditions and mild weather ahead of it. The second half of August does look to have more mild snaps than cool ones, but a deep snow pack on many of the ski fields may act as a refrigerant, keeping the fields and higher elevations cooler.