Conditions around Canterbury are a little cooler this morning due to high cloud in some areas but it’s a relief for many locals after yesterdays fierce heat.

Last night Christchurch continued to bake with 26 degrees recorded at midnight, making it the hottest temperature recorded at that hour for decades. This followed the heat of yesterday which caused a few concerns as some people became agitated in the heat with one or two domestics breaking out!

Buses heading to the beach were crowded and lifesaving patrol hours were extended to cope with the masses. Heat triggered off numerous fire alarms but a positive for some retailers was that it kept city bars reasonably busy too!

A scrub fire was reported near the airport during the early hours of the morning as nor’ west winds flared up once again but not to any great degree.

To the stats and it was the hottest day since 1998 in the city and in the top 5 hottest days of all time. 35.7 degrees at the airport was just a fraction below the January record.

Tomorrow may come as a shock for some Cantabrians as temperatures look as if they wont manage to get much above the mid teens but showers are forecast which will certainly be welcome by many, as 7 days of 30 degrees or more have been recorded since Christmas day.

Richard Green