New Zealand Forecast – Powder Alert!!!
Published early Monday, 18th August 2025
The weather wasn’t half bad for South Island ski fields over the weekend, and it managed to hold off over the Southern Lakes on Sunday as a slow-moving storm system moved even slower than expected, arriving later in the evening.
The front will continue to move up the South Island today, Monday, and then the North Island on Tuesday, bringing snowfall to low levels and icy-cold southerly winds. There’ll be some light, leftover snowfall for the northern parts of Canterbury and Mt Ruapehu on Wednesday and Thursday, before high pressure settles in for an absolute ripper of a day on Friday.
Snowfall accumulations for this storm will likely be in the ballpark of 15-30+ cm of high-quality powder across NZ ski fields, giving us another timely boost after a similar-sized one just over a week ago.
Monday 18th August
Heavy snowfall over the Southern Lakes eases during the morning, and then clears in the afternoon as cold southwest winds develop. However, snow returns to very low levels in the evening as a stronger pulse of icy-cold southerly winds hits.
Meanwhile, up in Canterbury, northwest winds will bring showers of rain and mid- to upper-level snow spilling over the Main Divide—those closest to it will see the most. Then, a cold southerly change will spread heavier snowfall to low levels up the Mackenzie Basin in the afternoon and further north in the evening.
Tuesday 19th August
Strong, icy-cold southerly winds bring more snow showers and flurries to the Southern Lakes, mostly early and late in the day, while heavier snowfall in Canterbury gradually backs off. Snow levels reach as low as 500-600m in the morning, affecting the high roads and passes.
Wednesday 20th August
Clouds gradually clear the Southern Lakes and Mackenzie Basin as the cold southerlies abate. Cloud and snow showers linger further north in Canterbury, especially in the north of the region, where Mt Lyford should pick up several more centimetres.
Thursday 21st August
A great day to get amongst the fresh powder with a nice, sunny day for the Southern Lakes and Mackenzie Basin. It’ll remain mostly cloudy further north in Canterbury, with afternoon snow flurries possible. Light, chilly southerly breezes.
Friday 22nd August
A mint, sunny day across the South Island with light winds.
Extended Forecast
Excellent conditions will prevail this weekend, both above and below the boot, as high pressure is likely to keep things fine and settled across the country.
Next week, the weather looks to start deteriorating early in the week before the next big storm system rolls in around mid-week, possibly lasting through to the end of the week. Details on this storm are still very much sketchy, but we can expect strong northwest winds to bring a mix of rain and snow initially, before a cold change sweeps through later, bringing snow to lower levels.
That’s all from me today, folks. I’m sending out these forecasts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout the season. Have a great couple of days, and I’ll see you back here on Wednesday.
Grasshopper
