{"id":559081,"date":"2026-08-04T21:22:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T21:22:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/559081\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T21:22:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T21:22:17","slug":"major-roads-closed-metservice-says-coldest-night-to-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/559081\/","title":{"rendered":"Major roads closed, MetService says coldest night to come"},"content":{"rendered":"

MetService says “the next few nights are going to be our coldest” as a cold snap<\/a> continues across the country.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, many across the country woke to another bitterly cold start<\/a> as sub-zero temperatures<\/a> and frosts set in. <\/p>\n

A snow dump in Dunedin caused traffic chaos, with emergency services responding to at least 20 weather-related call outs, and a dusting of snow even fell in Wellington for the first time in almost a decade. <\/p>\n

Forecasters say the coldest day of winter has yet to come. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n

MetService meteorologist John Law told Breakfast this morning the cold temperatures were not due to disappear just yet, saying “the next few nights are going to be our coldest”. <\/p>\n

“So Thursday night into Friday, I think that’s going to be a really chilly one, even up in towards Auckland and Northland. <\/p>\n

\"Dunedin<\/p>\n

Dunedin on Aug 5 (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n

“But I think once we’re head in towards Friday, a bit of a change in our wind direction, back to more northerlies, so lose that cold southerly air over us. So temperatures getting a little bit better as we head through in towards the weekend,” he said. <\/p>\n

\"MetService<\/p>\n

MetService meteorologist John Law. (Source: Breakfast)<\/p>\n

He said some of the coldest areas in the South Island including Tekapo and toward Mount Cook Village recorded temperatures of -7 and -8C overnight. <\/p>\n

“Even up north, we’ve had some pretty cold temperatures, threes and fours, but with a bit of a breeze there it makes it feel much colder. <\/p>\n

“But it’s worth saying, even if we thought last night was cold, the next few nights are probably going to be a couple of degrees colder. So you definitely need those extra layers, those gloves, and those extra woolly blankets,” he said. <\/p>\n

Law said “areas that stuck out into the east caught the most of that snowfall”.<\/p>\n

\"Snow<\/p>\n

Snow blankets Dunedin on August 4, 2026. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n

“So places like Dunedin, the Otago Peninsula, Banks Peninsula, with those showers just running through, and Christchurch further inland a lot drier.<\/p>\n

“Today, I think most of the showers are going to be across those eastern parts of the North Island. Mostly is rain, but a bit of a sleety mix in there, and some hail as we head through the day.” <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(Source: 1News)<\/p>\n

Roads closed<\/p>\n

New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said State Highway 2 at Remutaka Hill has closed again following bad weather and snow.<\/p>\n

“Drivers travelling between Wellington and Wairarapa are asked to delay their travel and use an alternative route until further notice,” an NZTA spokesperson said. <\/p>\n

The Desert Rd in the central North Island also remain shut due to snow and ice. <\/p>\n

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including Jetstar\u2019s carry-on changes, and Ariana Grande addresses her fans. (Source: 1News)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MetService says “the next few nights are going to be our coldest” as a cold snap continues across…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":559082,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69,3393],"class_list":["post-559081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-weather-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=559081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/559081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/559082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=559081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=559081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=559081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}