Cold Snap For late May

[RWood]

Just another glorious day in our lengthy run here. Several of a slightly miserable SE to follow if the forecast is correct.

[Gary Roberts]

MS are quickly moderating their forecasts. The dire BEWARE! BEWARE! signs are coming down.

[gopolks]

BUMMER

So what are they saying now?

[Lawrence]

God it's slow, sat picks show cloud building off the west coast and seeming to move down towards the fiords now,I'm just wondering if its all stalled,can't understand why? Any one with any contacts with M/S.

[gopolks]

Well it has to move doesnt it? it cant just stay there???

What is the latest from the metservice for the next few days?

[southernthrash]

No we want it to stay over queenstown as long as possible, it's working wonders on the ski hills!

[southernthrash]

Mother Nature owes me, for a lack of the white stuff last year, then again she was very kind 2004/2005/2006, when not only did she bring the white stuff, but it was enough for the boss to give us days off work!!!!

Pffft! I had to work! I'm waiting for a return to the 'Good Old Days(TM)', when we used to get REAL snowfalls, ones deep enough to keep 4WD work vehicles in the garages and the drivers at home! The snowfalls which lingered for months in many places. Back when many work sites could only be reached by helicopter. Not the wussy little 2-6" that lies around for a whole four days we've been getting since around 2002.

The cloud level is rising fast around here, along with the temp and baro. I can see blue sky off to the east, somewhat amazingly. If there's a cold southerly front approaching, it's going to have to be a good one to have any impact in North Otago now. What sayeth thee, Kalashnikov?

Move to southland

[Lawrence]

There's a low to the south west @ 50 degrees south thats moved about a width of New Zealand compared to this front in the past 3 hours ,and it heading our way too.

[Lawrence]

No we want it to stay over queenstown as long as possible, it's working wonders on the ski hills!

Come on southernthrash,stop hogging all the snow. You haven’t got a rope tied round it av’e you.

[gopolks]

Its now 12.5 degrees in chch, the temp has gone up 2 degrees in the last hour, I think mother nature is being a smart ass.

[Ryan Thomas]

Move to the northern tablelands (right place I hope, northern NSW I think) if you want snow! They got some a few days ago because they're up pretty high, didn't know there was a plateau above 1000m in Australia

[Inny Binny]

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/anndetail.asp?annid=1264

That's why it's so slow?

[Gary Roberts]

It'd be nice to think this turns into something interesting. The rain was helpful, but NZ skifields could definitely use a good year, for a change. People have become sick of trying to ski on gravel and are looking overseas. Probably going to be a bumper year on the Aussie fields, by the sounds of things.

Continuing to clear up in North Otago...unless Mr K's stalled almost-but-not-quite-good-enough front starts moving again (and finally begins to dump some snow somewhere), I'd say it's all over.

[gopolks]

Oh well, bring on the next cold snap!

Mid June maybe?

[Gary Roberts]

Oh well, bring on the next cold snap!

Mid June maybe?

Yep, that's when it's happened the last two or three years, although only June 12th 2006 ever really amounted to anything.

It'd be nice in some ways to get a real snowy winter, although they tend to prove very costly, so I probably shouldn't be happy if it happens!

Ah well, not getting any younger and starting to feel the cold a little now, so maybe GCC dooming once-traditional SI winters is for the best.

[Lawrence]

That's why it's so slow?

Well, the only thing I can see moving it now is that Low in the South Tasman moving at 40 Knots. If the low off the East coast of the North Island keeps on it track back towards New Zealand it might Swivel the Front, with the eastern side moving North as the West flank moves south...The next question is when

Well at least I'm not the only one to be disappointed.

I still think that there’s potential in this system, it’s just that it's quite complex, we’ll soon see in the next 48 hours, I’ve not given up yet

Drizzle here in Christchurch.

[kiwisk8er]

I'm going to be a nay sayer. No snow just some rain. Its been raining here in Dunedin since last night. Boring.

[southernthrash]

Snowing up mt cargill I'm told. But a pretty gloomy day.

K - I'm not in southland at the moment, in Dunedin, but know a couple of guys who are clearing snow off roads in the north today.

For those who missed out, here's Coronet Peak around midday:

[gllitz]

Snowing up mt cargill I'm told. But a pretty gloomy day.

K - I'm not in southland at the moment, in Dunedin, but know a couple of guys who are clearing snow off roads in the north today.

For those who missed out, here's Coronet Peak around midday:

Is that you in the pic?

[southernthrash]

certainly not, I'm guessing its someone who works up on coronet, it's on their snow report.

[Gary Roberts]

I just glimpsed a big yellow thing in the sky. Not sure what it was but it's warm. Gone again behind some clouds, but it may well be back again. I'll see if I can catch it this time. Where's that net...?

[Gary Roberts]

MS and co were pretty well right on the money again with their forecasts this time but, as with the last lot of potential snow weather, the necessary low temps simply weren't there and so it fizzled out. But in all other respects they were spot on: moisture, wind, etc.

[gopolks]

Snowing up mt cargill I'm told. But a pretty gloomy day.

K - I'm not in southland at the moment, in Dunedin, but know a couple of guys who are clearing snow off roads in the north today.

For those who missed out, here's Coronet Peak around midday:

Very cool pic!!!

[Inny Binny]

Severe snow warnings removed from MetService.

[gopolks]

Yep, a typical day here in chch, drizzle but not cold, (Man I hate weather like that)