Christchurch Snow above 200m, with sleety showers elsewhere. Heavy snow above 300m affecting the Port Hills and Banks Peninsula. Gale southerlies, gusting 100km/h in exposed places and bringing large waves to south facing beaches. Wind chill will be severe.
South Island
Snow is expected to fall to sea level, or very near it, from Southland to South Canterbury from late Wednesday into Thursday and Friday. The snow level is expected to rise to 200m from about Christchurch northwards.Snow accumulations may reach 1m above 300m for inland parts of Canterbury and South Marlborough. Bitterly cold southeasterlies will bring damaging gusts up to 150km/h for the South Island West Coast, and 130km/h for exposed parts of Marlborough and Nelson. These winds could disrupt travel, and severe wind chill will stress livestock.