August 2025 cold snap and snow

The story so far

A series of cold fronts was forecast to sweep across New Zealand, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.^{7 Aug 2025} MetService issued rain watches for northwest Tasman and the headwaters of Canterbury and Otago, and a significant temperature drop was expected over the weekend.^{7 Aug 2025} Snow was forecast for State Highway 1 Desert Road and may affect South Island pass roads, with widespread frosts expected to return.^{8 Aug 2025} On 8 August the Desert Road section of State Highway 1 in the North Island closed because of snow, after MetService warned of up to three centimetres on its highest parts.^{9 Aug 2025}

Latest

The Desert Road was closed by snow on 8 August, and MetService issued a road snowfall warning for the highest parts of the route.^{9 Aug 2025}

What's next

A cold, wet weekend with snow is expected across various regions.^{9 Aug 2025} Widespread frosts are expected to return.^{8 Aug 2025}

Key moments

1. 7 Aug 2025Cold fronts forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds nationwide
2. 7 Aug 2025MetService issues rain watches for Tasman, Canterbury and Otago headwaters
3. 8 Aug 2025Snow forecast for Desert Road and South Island pass roads
4. 9 Aug 2025Desert Road section of State Highway 1 closed due to snow

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.