Weather
This forecast was created at 8:30 a.m. PST on Monday, September 8, 2025.
A compact northwest-to-west flow brings light to moderate snow to New Zealand from Tuesday night through Thursday, with the best shot on Wednesday night. Ruapehu likely tops the board (Turoa around 12-20 centimeters [five to eight inches]; Whakapapa around 10-15 centimeters [four to six inches]), the Southern Lakes net 8-15 centimeters (three to six inches), and Canterbury runs lighter at 3-13 centimeters (one to five inches). Snow quality starts on the dense side Tuesday into Wednesday, then improves as colder air drops snow levels and pushes snow-to-liquid ratios toward the teens by Wednesday night; extreme winds on Ruapehu may hammer lift ops during the peak.
Warm-advection snow arrives Tuesday into Tuesday night with marginal snow levels and heavy wind. On the South Island, initial snow levels hover near or above some base areas (Porters snow level around 1,433 meters vs. a 1,310 meter (4,700 feet vs. a 4,297-foot) base Tuesday night; Treble Cone’s Tuesday period runs near 1,341 meters vs. a 1,260 meter (4,400 feet vs. a 4,133-foot) base, so expect a rain or mixed start at the very bottom before snow sticks more broadly overnight. Early SLRs mostly sit in the poor 5–9:1 band, so accumulations are modest and dense. On the North Island, Ruapehu runs even warmer early (snow levels near or above the 1,600-meter [5,300-foot] bases Tuesday night and into Wednesday), favoring mixed precip at the lowest elevations before trending colder later.
Colder, westerly flow tightens up Wednesday into Wednesday night, dropping snow levels and improving quality. South Island SLRs lift into the 12–14:1 range by Wednesday night, with temperatures falling to -7ºC (the low 20s F), so quality turns chalky-to-soft (nicest at the Remarkables and Treble Cone). The Southern Lakes stack the bulk of their three to six inches in this window; Canterbury adds one to three. Ruapehu’s main accumulation also comes Wednesday night as snow levels crash to around 1,190-1,372 meters (3,900–4,500 feet) and SLRs nudge toward 9–10:1, pushing totals into the 10 to 20 centimeters (four to eight inches) class across the volcano.
Winds are the headline on Ruapehu and a secondary issue in Canterbury. Ruapehu sees sustained winds in the 50-65 kilometers per hour (30 to 40 miles per hour) with extreme gusts peaking near 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) on Wednesday night (Whakapapa upper mountain near 160; Turoa peaking just over 160), a classic lift-hold setup even with improving snow quality. Canterbury’s Tuesday night push features strong gusts as well (Porters gusts around 113 kilometers per hour [70 miles per hour], easing by Wednesday night). Southern Lakes winds run more moderate overall, with some exposed ridgelines still feeling punchy at times.
A trailing shower pattern lingers into Thursday with lighter totals and cooler temps. Expect a dusting to five centimeters (two inches) region-wide Thursday, with the North Island hanging onto scattered snow showers through Thursday night under improving SLRs near 10:1. Surfaces should ski best where Wednesday night’s colder, lower-density snow smoothed things over—particularly the Remarkables and Treble Cone—while Ruapehu will reward patience around wind impacts once ops allow.
Resort-by-Resort Snowfall Totals
- Turoa – 13-20 cm (5″-8″) Tue night (09/09)–Thu night (09/11)
- Whakapapa – 6-15 cm (4″-6″) Tue night (09/09)–Thu night (09/11)
- Treble Cone – 6-15 cm (4″-6″) Tue (09/09)–Wed night (09/10)
- Remarkables – 8-13 cm (3″-5″) Tue night (09/09)–Wed night (09/10)
- Ohau – 8-13 cm (3″-5″) Tue night (09/09)–Wed night (09/10)
- Coronet Peak – 8-13 cm (3″-5″) Tue night (09/09)–Wed night (09/10)
- Cardrona – 5-8 cm (2″-3″) Tue night (09/09)–Wed night (09/10)
- Mt Hutt – 3-8 cm (1″-2″) Wed (09/10)–Wed night (09/10)
- Porters – 3-8 cm (1″-2″) Tue night (09/09)–Wed night (09/10)
