The beginning of winter for the southern city usually sees some frosts developing but with it some clear and sunny days. The first month of winter can aso see southerlies deliver wintry showers and the wind can make it feel very chilly at times.
Just every now and then a warmer nor’ wester can break through and give everyone a real spring in their step but be warned as that can be followed up by sleet and snow as a front or depression moves through the area.

This June seems to have delivered a wintry mix of allsorts and even the locals are wondering when it was this bitter so early in the season.

The city has had one snowstorm, two extremely heavy frosts and numerous days where the temperature has failed to top double figures.It’s usually an average of twelve degrees for the month.

Raw cold has hung around off and on for a couple of weeks and any winds have made the cold bite even further. The quake hit city has generally held its power network together however the snow saw it flicker and the heavy frosts in outlying areas have also challenged the circuits.

“Even though the stats show its not the harshest beginning to Winter we’ve had it’s certainly been a long time since we’ve copped it this cold at the start of the season” says weather analyst Richard Green.”It’s kept us on our toes but for some the cold has been tough due to issues of limited heating for a few”.

ECAN have been in the public firing line recently since its decision not to use ultra low emission woodburners. These will not be implemented in the city in the immediate future despite the quakes leaving many homes with no alternative sources of heating.

“Hearing stories of people really battling so far this winter with the cold and next to no heating is just so sad” says Richard Green.”So many callers here at NewstalkZB are suffering but are doing their best to cope and even though Cantabrians are a hardy bunch it’s quite remarkable what some are having to put up with”.

WeatherWatch.co.nz believes this week will see more of a warming trend for the city and a chance it could last a little longer before the cold returns.

WeatherWatch.co.nz and image of a snowy Avonhead suburb by Matt Wilkinson