Power is out to some 22,000 properties across the Coromandel Peninsula as the top of the country braces for severe 100 km/h wind gusts and possible hail.

The widespread fault hit the region around lunchtime.

Powerco said it was working quickly and safely to make repairs and restore electricity to all affected customers.

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Wintry weather has hit the south with thick snow closing highways and several schools.

Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds called the weather “brutal” following the dumping of snow in her region and said several primary schools and highways had been forced to close.

Earlier, a section of Lindis Pass (SH8) and SH93 from Matarua to Clinton closed due to icy conditions, but has since reopened.

Further north, SH8 Fairlie to Tekapo is closed.

In Wānaka, residents reported snow falling on the lakefront at midday.

Meanwhile, Aucklanders are being urged to brace for power outages and to take care driving with heavy rain, strong gales and possible hail due at rush hour.

A strong wind watch is in place for Northland from Whangārei, Auckland, Great Barrier Island and Coromandel Peninsula from 4pm. MetService is warning wind may approach “severe gales” in some places. Niwa is warning gusts of more than 100km/h could roar through the north this afternoon.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is asking motorists using the Auckland Harbour Bridge to take extra care, with strong gusts expected until 9pm.

There are also warnings of thunderstorms and small hail.

Vector is also warning strong winds could bring power outages, with areas likely most affected by gusty winds set to include the west coast, Warkworth and Wellsford.

There is also a moderate risk of thunderstorms in Bay of Plenty, including Rotorua, Gisborne, Taupō and Hawke’s Bay. These storms may continue along the coast of Gisborne and the Mahia Peninsula into the evening, potentially bringing heavy rain (10 to 15mm/h) and small hail.

MetService has issued multiple road snowfall watches and warnings around New Zealand, including the Napier-Taupō Rd (SH5) and the Desert Rd (SH1), where up to 10cm could fall in areas above 700m.

There is also a road snowfall warning for the Remutaka Hill Rd (SH2), where rain could turn to snow above 400m.

In the South Island, road snowfall warnings have been issued for Lewis Pass (SH7), Porters Pass, Arthur’s Pass (SH73), the Crown Range Road and Milford Road (SH94).

There is also a heavy snow watch over Taihape, where snow is expected to lower to around 600m.

Niwa forecaster Ben Noll said the wintry weather could be described as “the last hurrah” of a rare polar heatwave over Antarctica that had been strengthening low-pressure systems to the south of New Zealand.

But sunnier days were on the cards for the weeks ahead.

“The good news is that high pressure will become much more abundant in the New Zealand region starting next week,” Noll said.

Niwa has given 50-50 odds of a La Nina climate pattern forming up by the end of spring – along with an earlier-than-usual shift to summer-like weather later in the season.

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