three days, before subsiding and returning early in the following month. 14–15 August 2011 A few days prior to this date, forecasters were warning of a severe snowstorm heading for New Zealand, even going as far as calling it the "perfect snowstorm". Snow fell consistently down to sea level in Wellington for the first time since 1976, and snow even fell for a brief time in Auckland for the first time in 80 years. Much of the South Island was heavily blanketed, with schools closed in Queenstown, Dunedin, and Christchurch. The heavy snow also disrupted flights in and out of these centres, and also in and out of Wellington. Schools were also closed there due to the snow. Power was also lost to around 4,000 homes in South Taranaki, Manawatu, Whanganui, and Wairarapa. The storms caused airport closures in Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin. The Christchurch and Dunedin Donor Centres were closed and Westport and Mosgiel mobile collections were cancelled as a result of bad weather. The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) closed access to the Christchurch's earthquake-damaged red zone due to potential safety hazards. The snow caused power outages in rural areas of Canterbury, namely Rakaia, Westmelton, Leeston and Greendale due to fallen tree branches. On 15 August, national electricity demand peaked at 6,902 megawatts, breaking the previous record of 6,635 MW set on 24 June 2007. The record would stand for nearly ten years before being broken by a peak demand of 6,924 MW on 29 June 2021. Although Wellington received its largest snowfall in 30 years, the South Island received the most during the storms, with some regions receiving snowfall of up to 20–30 cm. The storm was reportedly the worst since 1939, when snow fell on the top of Maungawhau / Mount Eden and outer suburbs of Auckland, a city which does not generally receive any snowfall. Impact Power outages Many homes around the country were without power, due to trees falling on power lines. Road closures Widespread road closures occurred across the Otago region on the South Island. Ski resorts Many ski resorts were completely closed due to being covered in dangerous amounts of snow and damage to infrastructure. See also Climate of New Zealand Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited References Weather events in New Zealand Snowstorms 2011 meteorology July 2011 events in New Zealand August 2011 events in New Zealand