Rain and snow across Mid Canterbury this week has proved a joy for some and a hindrance to others.

MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker said the week had provided “a decent chunk of rain for Ashburton”.

“On the 30th, just over 40 millimetres of rain was recorded over a 24 hour period,” he said.

“Peak wind speeds were at 50 kilometres an hour, getting decently strong but not a gale.”

Snow also fell over parts of the district.

The cold southerly breeze was exactly what the ski field needed, Mt Hutt ski area manager James McKenzie said.

“The mountain is absolutely caked. It’s like someone’s turned it upside down and dipped it in icing.”

He said about 83 centimetres of snow had piled up on the fields over the last two days.

“Bit of a game changer for us, it’s been bitterly cold, with very strong winds, but lots of precipitation,” he said.

“We’ve had a bit of a dry spell through July, so this is the break of the drought.”

The mountain reopened on Thursday after being closed to accumulate snow, just in time for the Canterbury Secondary Schools Dual Slalom, which takes place on August 8.

While skiers will be happy, the weather caused issues elsewhere in the district.

Dangerous road conditions prompted Mount Hutt College to cancel bus services on Wednesday. Alternative class schedules were run for students due to the large absence of staff that day.

As of Thursday, buses had resumed, but the school has advised parents to check the New Zealand Transport Agency’s traffic updates for hazard warnings.

The Ashburton District Council temporarily closed the Bowyers Stream and Taylors Stream reserve due to wet ground conditions on Thursday.

Several roads across the district were closed due to ice and snow.

The weather wasn’t ideal for farmers either, some of whom are at the start of calving.

Wavell Dairies farmer Steve Shmack said the snow was more of a nuisance than a major issue on his farm.

“We had snow on the ground here at Ruapuna, but not a lot, and it was all gone by last night.”

“The wind chill was the worst thing, and the rain was probably worse than the snow.”

The heifers on his farm began calving around 10 days ago during the warm weather, and had slowed down during the cold snap, he said.

“We go and take the calves in, straight away to the heat lamps in our sheds. And we shifted cows to sheltered paddocks obviously.”

Shmack said most farmers were prepared for this sort of weather.

“Feed reserves are generally pretty good in Mid Canterbury, so everyone’s ready and has extra feed on hand.”

Bakker said next week was looking a lot brighter than the last.

“Currently, there are a few showers about, but from Friday it’s going to be getting nicer and nicer.

“It will be quite cold however.

“Getting into the weekend, we’ll be getting overnight minimums of minus 3, minus 4, and not really breaking into those double digits for those maximums either.”

“So it’ll be fine and frosty.”

Bakker said drivers should be wary of slippery roads, especially those going out to the mountains.

By Anisha Satya