Snow has closed part of SH1 north of Dunedin as an icy blast hits the lower South Island.Meanwhile, severe gales have left hundreds without electricity around Hawke's Bay.Follow updates in our liveblog belowSH1 was closed between Dunedin and Waitati, north of the city on Monday morning with NZTA asking people to delay their journey or use an alternative route.The Transport Agency said roading crews were helping people stuck in cars on State Highway 1.SH87 from Outram to Middlemarch had also been shut, due to snow and ice between Kyeburn and Palmerston.In Southland, SH94 to Milford Sound was also shut due to snow.Temperatures were due to drop on Monday afternoon and evening, meteorologist Juliane Bergdolt said.Snow could fall down to about 200 metres on SH1 from Dunedin to Waitati Highway, with several centimetres snowfall expected on the highest parts of the road, Bergdolt said on Monday morning.Road snowfall warnings were in place for Lewis, Arthurs and Lindis passes until Monday night, along with the Crown and Milford roads, she said.Lewis Pass on a snowy day. (File photo)123RFDriver Amy Turoa said she was heading south on State Highway 1 when traffic came to a standstill for about 30 minutes."It's probably the heaviest snow I've been in, it just came down so fast," she said.Turoa said traffic in her lane had since begun moving slowly but she could see dozens of cars stuck in the opposite direction and a truck and trailer that had slid into a ditch."The snow plow came through maybe three times and now we're just following all the other trucks. We've probably passed maybe 40 cars waiting," she said.Further north, slips closed SH2 through Waioweka Gorge - a corridor that connects Bay of Plenty to the Gisborne/Tai Rāwhiti regions - in both directions.Contractors were on site but NZTA expected work to take same time.People should delay travel or allow plenty of extra time for long detours either via SH35 or SH5.Winds leave hundreds without powerMeanwhile, high winds have left hundreds without electricity around Hawke's Bay, as gusts reach a hundred kilometres an hour.MetService has an orange strong wind watch in place until 7pm this evening for Hawke's Bay south of Hastings and the Tararua district.Unison says around 450 customers are without power.MetService's Alwyn Bakker said severe gale westerlies are gathering force over mountains and gusting over plateaus at 100 kilometres an hour.He said the mean wind speed is around 60km per hour.He advised against unnecessary travel, especially on motorcycles or in high sided vehicles like caravans.