Weekend weather: Temperatures to plummet as South Island skiers hold out for snow
Maren Winter
South Island skiers will be holding out hope for snow as temperatures plummet this weekend.
A number of club skifields have yet to open, or have opened only to close again, while many commercial ski fields have relied on snow making to open.
"No snow in August on many ski fields. This could be the first time in our lives that local club fields do not open at all," Christchurch City Council climate resilience advisor Tony Moore noted on LinkedIn.
MetService said a series of cold fronts would see temperatures drop on Friday heading into the weekend, heralding the return of widespread frosts.
Snow was expected down to 800 metres for the North Island ranges, and as low as 500 metres across the Canterbury High Country and Southern Lakes.
Snowfall warnings were in place for higher parts of the alpine passes for later today, from 5pm to 9pm on Arthur's and Porters passes.
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Check out the Crown Range webcam going from its usual grassy brown at dawn to a blanket of white!
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Mt Cheeseman said it was "still hanging out for snow" on its social media, Broken River was yet to open, while Craigieburn posted "a lean July and leaner start to August has meant we are not yet in a position to open the field for skiing."
Mt Lyford was closed on Friday, as was Mt Dobson, Mt Olympus, Hanmer Springs Ski Area and Fox Peak, though all have opened earlier in the season.
Last year was New Zealand's third warmest winter on record https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/527013/climate-winter-2024-the-third-warmest-on-record-niwa, according to NIWA data, and earlier this year the organisation predicted a milder winter https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/562847/a-warmer-winter-is-on-its-way-niwa-says, with air temperatures expected to be above average across all New Zealand regions for the season, and less frequent cold snaps and frosts.
Five of New Zealand's six warmest winters have occurred since 2020.
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