Deep wind-drifts in Mt Hutt yesterday after 40cms
© Mt HuttDeep wind-drifts in Mt Hutt yesterday after 40cms of snow.
As the storm clears today, many are looking at webcams of places they would rather be as the deep fresh snow coincides with the yesterday's news of New Zealand's snow resorts plunging into level 4 lockdown for three days.

Thanks to the storm earlier this week we have just seen great snow accumulations around the country, offering some of the best conditions so far this season. Ohau reported a metre up top in 24 hours to Tuesday morning and other locations around the Southern Alps reporting around the half a metre mark in the past 48 hours. However, other than this storm and a couple of earlier snow falls, it has been quite warm around the country with the NIWA (National Institute of water andAtmospheric Research) research showing that New Zealand has just experienced its warmest June and July on record.


Ohau, looking inviting last week and it received one metre in 24 hours from this week’s storm.
© Ohau Snow FieldsOhau, looking inviting last week and it received one metre in 24 hours from this week’s storm.
Over the past few weeks we have seen some snowfalls with a similar recurring pattern: high-pressure systems off the southeast of Australia have been peeling off into the Tasman, north of the country, while low pressure approaches in the south. This has induced a southwesterly flow, delivering fronts up and along the length of the country, most recently with great success.