A MOSTLY FINE MONDAY LINED UP – A FEW CLOUDY PERIODS & THE RISK OF A BRIEF SHOWER.

CWU ALPINE ROAD SNOWFALL ‘WARNING’ IN PLACE.

(Updated 7:20pm Sunday evening)

Good evening. Our Sunday played out as forecast, with mostly sunny & mild conditions out east across the Canterbury Plains & Coast. We did see a few showers near the Foothills at times, but overall the wet and cold weather has been confined to Interior & Main Divide.  Rangiora grabbed top honours with 16.2 degrees, while a number of towns and areas weren’t far behind reaching 15 degrees, including Christchurch which hit a very pleasant 15.6 degrees.

This evening & overnight expect mostly fine conditions out east, but showers and snow will effect the Main Divide & High Country – more persistent in the west. Snow & sleety falls are now touching down at Arthur’s Pass Village & Mt Cook Village!

YOUR OFFICIAL DAILY ‘HIGHS’ FOR SUNDAY – Rangiora 16.2, Kaikoura 16, Christchurch 15, Rolleston 15, Amberley 15, Akaroa 15, Hanmer Springs 15, Culverden 15, Darfield 13, Oxford 13, Methven 13, Castle Hill Village 12, Mt Cook Village 6, Arthur’s Pass Village 5

Rainfall forecast until 6am Monday: 15mm-25mm near the Main Divide; dry east of the Canterbury Foothills. Any precipitation will fall as snow above 600m about the Canterbury Headwaters & Main Divide overnight.

BRIEF SUMMARY (MAIN POINTS)

Nor-west winds will be strong to gale force about the High Country this evening & overnight, take care on our higher roads.

Snow is now falling to 700m ( 6:15am) near the Main Divide. We currently have a road snowfall warning in place for the Lewis & Arthur’s Pass from this evening. Road closures and disruptions are likely overnight and through Monday morning. Source NZTA for the latest road conditions.

On Tuesday we’ll see a brief period of wintry showers, with a dusting of snow to 400m-500m. Snow showers will affect Banks Peninsula and possibly even higher parts of the Port Hills. Short & sharp in nature, with many towns and areas avoiding any shower activity.

Local ski fields will see snow showers at times over the next 48 hours, heavier and more sustained falls in the West. The rest of June is looking very dry, with little or no snow forecast.

We have a new addition to our town pages, Mt Lyford Village in North Canterbury. A webcam will also be part of this new addition, providing a fantastic additional source of information for skiers and of course farmers and people working & living in Waiau/Inland Road. We hope to have the webcam up & running by the weekend.

Our Monthly Outlook has been updated; with little surprises & changes. Stay tuned for the July Outlook issued on the 30th of June.

Our new check out process enables fast, easy and secure CWU membership in just 2-4 mins. Streamlined access.

SITUATION/OVERVIEW –  An active period of weather will affect the Main Divide and West Coast of the South Island over the next 48 hours, bringing rain and snow for Western parts of the region, while out east we;ll enjoy mostly fine conditions.

On Tuesday we may see a brief period of wintry showers, as winds turn more SW. Brief snow flurries about Banks Peninsula. Middle to later stages of next week look mostly sunny and frosty under high pressure; a fantastic way to end June.

GENERAL SUMMARY FOR CANTERBURY – PLEASE CHECK YOUR TOWN FORECAST FOR MORE SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

THIS EVENING & OVERNIGHT: Mainly fine out east, with clear spells and cloudy periods. Rain and showers about the High Country & Main Divide falling as snow to 600m-700m tonight. Strong to gale force nor-west winds. Road snowfall ‘Warning’ in place from evening. Overnight Lows:  1-4 degrees.

MONDAY: Mostly fine morning, with sunny skies and high cloud. Gusty NW winds in exposed areas. Afternoon or evening SW wind change, with a few cloudy periods. A few showers possible, isolated in nature. Wintry conditions near the Main Divide, with heavy and low snow level snow. H: 9-12 L: 0-2

TUESDAY:  Sunny spells and a few wintry showers, with light snow to 400-500m about the Canterbury Foothills & High Country. Light snow on Banks Peninsula, with possible snow flurries about the Port Hills. Strong SW winds, especially about the coast. Cold temperatures. H: 6-8 L: 1-3

WEDNESDAY: Sunny and cool. Morning frosts about inland areas. Fresh SW winds easing. H: 7-9 L: -3, 1

THURSDAY: Sunny and cool. Light winds. Frosts morning & night. H: 8-10 L: -2, 2

Source our town pages for 1-7 day forecast for 23 towns across Canterbury – no computer-generated content and specific information for each town.

The ‘Situation’ will be reviewed & updated around or before 7:00am Monday morning.

Weather Analyst: Russell Voice

Copyright NZ REGIONAL WEATHER UPDATES 2018