Frosts 2013

[CHCH Weather Chaser]

Good frost on the grass and even patches on the pavement this morning but only down to -0.7°C.

Yes not as cold here this morning. Down to -2. Although looks like it stayed colder for longer throughout the night with -2 almost all night so that might be why it appears more frosty along pavements. Still -1.3 degrees here as of 9:10am.

[iomkiwi]

Had a few patches of white crunchy stuff on the lawn here, also on the car roof.

I'm not going to call it a frost 'cos you South Island lot will just laugh

[Richard]

Had a few patches of white crunchy stuff on the lawn here, also on the car roof.

I'm not going to call it a frost 'cos you South Island lot will just laugh

We wont laugh we promise

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Good frost on the grass and even patches on the pavement this morning but only down to -0.7°C.

Yes same here. Nice and white with frost on the road in 'open' sheltered areas but not in sheltered areas.
Only minus 0.6C, much 'warmer' than yesterday's minimum.

[Skywatcher]

Another good frost on the grass but not much on the pavement this time and a low of -0.6°C during the second dip below freezing.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Yes. The frost was a good one , down to minus 1.3C, more or less the less the same in open sheltered areas.

[Skywatcher]

A week since the last frost - dipping below freezing after 7am and reaching -0.7°C.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Not looking all that white but a cold anyway. Down to minus 2.3C at sun-up in the screen.

[Andy]

-4 air frost this morning.

[snowstormwatcher]

-2.2 here this morning.

[Andy]

-4.1 air frost

[Bradley]

It's going to freeze like the buggery tonight, 0C already at 5.30!!

[snowstormwatcher]

Yep, Down to 1c here now with ice on the car since 5.15.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Should be a good one overnight especially after the recent rain. Down to 1.9C already

[Andy]

-2.7 here already.

[Orion]

Plumb on 0.0 at the moment.

[Andy]

-6.8 at 5:30am, currently -5.7 with fog.

[Richard]

-3.8deg here

[Orion]

Air temp. -2.9 now.

[snowstormwatcher]

-3.0 here currently.

[Bradley]

Hmmmm, very interesting...


Winters in Christchurch just ain't what they used to be.

That's if you believe some of the readings being taken at Christchurch Airport.

MetService will investigate whether a thermometer at the airport is making our winter seem milder than it really is, after keen weather watchers and some MetService staff noticed recent frosts at the airport were nowhere near as heavy as they once were.

Temperatures measured just a few centimetres above the ground by a grass minimum thermometer or automatic probe are generally several degrees Celsius below the air minimum temperature, recorded by a thermometer in the same location but at a height of about 1.5m.

Typically, an average Christchurch frost with a minimum of about -3C would have a grass minimum of about -6C. A very heavy frost with a minimum of -5C could be accompanied by a grass minimum of -8C or less.

However, the difference between Christchurch Airport's two automated temperature probes on frosty mornings now is sometimes just 10ths of a degree rather than whole degrees.

In the heaviest frost last month, on the 29th, the minimum at the airport was -4.2C and the grass minimum -4.7C. But at the Botanic Gardens, the figures were -2.0C and -7.5C.

MetService Christchurch Airport office manager Tony Hawkins said the anomaly appeared to be reasonably consistent.

"It could be a technical issue or there could be something else going on at the site."

The instruments are located on the opposite side of the airport's main runway to the terminal.

A MetService engineering team was scheduled to check the site and the instruments next week.

[Richard]

interesting yet my two gauges there's never been any more than 2deg between the two,in the autumn when the ground temps are still warm they are about the same.

[Andy]

-7.2 min at 8am this morning.

[einzack]

-4.8°C this morning. the coldest of the year so far. just.
already down to 0.6°C now so that might get beaten unless the fog rolls in.

[Orion]

-0.4 here now....