Manukau heads obs wrote:
just that climate warming models pointed to more climate extremes
also note that big snow falls actualy can result from above normal temperatures....if you get the right weather cominations...in the event just gone it was the warm and moist air from the north tasman that met the cold (and relatively dry) air from the south...
That may explain why snowfalls to sea level in Pegasus Bay are becoming more common over the last 20 years
Mod Note: Topic split from 'General June Weather' thread.
Manukau heads obs wrote:
just that climate warming models pointed to more climate extremes
also note that big snow falls actualy can result from above normal temperatures....if you get the right weather cominations...in the event just gone it was the warm and moist air from the north tasman that met the cold (and relatively dry) air from the south...
That may explain why snowfalls to sea level in Pegasus Bay are becoming more common over the last 20 years
Only as common as they used to be. Its the 1980s and 1990s which were unusual, not the 2000s. There were significant snowfalls, often to sea level, quite frequently through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
TonyT wrote: quite frequently through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
I know we've had this discussion before but again i can only really remember from the late 60's onwards,growing up in Rangiora i don't remember snow in the late 60's,i remember two falls,one was 20cm deep in the late 70's,80's i cant be 100% because i worked in other areas of the South Island but i cant recall any major dumps,looking back further my parents also don't remember it snowing damn near every winter like its doing now.
I just remember at the start of winter wising to get snow but getting to spring thinking "oh maybe next winter" and that was common for most winters back then.
I think in some of the earlier decades mentioned Otago was more in the firing line for the snows, whereas lately, Canterbury has been getting them more than Otago, it seems.
Frustratingly annual snow days data from Cliflo stops in 1991 for Chch (crazy isnt it, that data since then hasnt been entered into the database, becasue I'd be 99% sure it was recorded on the Met301 monthly data forms).
However, if you add up the number of days with snow observed (falling, not lying) in the city by decade:
1950s - 21 days
1960s - 21 days
1970s - 9 days (1971 and 1973 missing, both had snow days I think, so should be 11+
1980s - 4 days
1990 and 1991 were both zero, perhaps someone with weather diaries going back can fill in the rest of the years from 1992 (which obviously had at least 2) onwards?
I believe that snowfalls have managed to accumulate to a reasonable depth more often in resent years than opposed to have had just observed falling snow reported,this is more what i'm getting at.
Richard wrote:I believe that snowfalls have managed to accumulate to a reasonable depth more often in resent years than opposed to have had just observed falling snow reported,this is more what i'm getting at.
Compared with the 1980s and 1990s I'd 100% agree with you.
I can remember the decent dump we got in Dunedin one winter, sorry I can't remember which one it was but it was the winter of either 77, 78 or 79 as that is when I had changed schools and we couldn't get off the hill for three days (lived up St Clair Park at that time). After the big dump we got here in Christchurch in 1992 I do remember another light covering in one of the following winters (between 95 and 2000) as I had a 4WD back then and one of my co-workers didn't want to take the car out. The Barrington area had more snow on the ground than Spreydon. The winter of either 2007 or 2008 we had three light dustings of snow in Halswell. I don't recall any snow dustings in the winter of 2009 or 2010 but we certainly caught up with the dumping of snow last year for sure. Will be interesting if we have another snow event this winter. My 86 year old father still reckons no snow fall compares to the winter of 1945.
snowykiwi wrote: My 86 year old father still reckons no snow fall compares to the winter of 1945.
Re 1945, I'm sure he's right. If the 1980s and 1990s were the low periods by any reasonable criteria, perhaps it relates in some way to the state of the PDO/IPO - in the Nino-favouring phase from about 1977 to the end of the 90s - for some reason - any ideas?
Perhaps someone could make a side topic for this historic snow talk as it is all important in many ways, i am only still a young man myself but it has certainly snowed here in Kaiapoi significantly in the past 6-7 years, before that i remember being frustrated with the light sprinklings we used to get while places like Hillmorton and Hornby etc got up to 5-10cm.
The September snow of 2005 was the first significant fall which started it all off here 8-10cm, then the June 12th 2006 event which although dumped heaps of snow inland we ended up with about 10cm.
2007 was a dud year, while 2008 believe it or not same date as this years June snowfall 6th June left 10-12cm in places.
2009,2010 we did have some brief light smatterings but nothing of significance, and then of course 2011 brought the July and August snowfalls which the August fall gave up to 20cm here and 15cm from last weeks fall.
I believe 1992 was the largest snowfall for Christchurch city with up to 30cm recorded, correct me if i am wrong.
November 1967 was certainly a significant snowfall for the South Canterbury hill country.
Was looking at some old photos the other day and it looked like there was at least 30cm in Fairlie.
I also remeber my father mentioning that there was 32cm of snow in Roxburgh Central Otago in June 1969.
I believe 1992 was the largest snowfall for Christchurch city with up to 30cm recorded, correct me if i am wrong.
That storm was 26-29th August. There was also a major snow storm over the South Island on the 8-9th July that year. Both events were warm advective scenarios.
The 1967 event occurred on the 16-19th November 1967. The time of year is interesting, almost summer!
It was a warm advective event as well with upto 90cm in the Mckenzie country.
I remember there were snowfalls on more years than not in Chch during the 90s. After 1992, there were I believe (I wasn't there) a light dusting on each of the following 2years. I recall snow settling in city in 1996 (3 times), 1997, and 99. (last one was heavy but brief) In the very cold winter of 1995, however, I remember only 1 brief snow shower in the city which didn't settle. (but the same event blanketed Banks Peninsula with heavy showers)
