Timaru hits 37.2C – change coming
Timaru has broken a five-year record with conditions warming to
37.2 degrees Celsius.
The last time Timaru experienced conditions like this in January was in 2015, when Timaru Airport reached 36.4C, MetService communications meteorologist Lewis Ferris said.
Yesterday’s temperature is one of the warmest recorded in the country this summer. The national record sits around 42C.
‘‘So far the warmer temperatures in summer have been around the low 30Cs rather than these mid- to high- 30Cs,’’ Ferris said.
Ashburton was also feeling the heat, reaching 35.9C when Stuff spoke to Ferris.
Truck driver Bede Cordes watched the thermometer reach
39C for around five minutes, while driving on rural roads through Dunsandel. During the trip from Leeston to Hororata, the thermometer never dropped below 36C.
‘‘It’s a hot day for all us guys and girls that work on the Canterbury Plains. Sure feel for farmers harvesting today . . . all the irrigators and pumps are going gangbusters!’’ Cordes said.
The North Island isn’t missing out – Gisborne, Hastings and Masterton have reached 34C, 35C and 33C, respectively.
An influx of warm air coming from the Tasman Sea, paired with warm northwesterly winds descending the eastern side of the southern alps, and the high sun angle has created the perfect summer conditions.
‘‘We’re getting just all of those prime conditions coming together,’’ Ferris said.
‘‘So warm air mass plus the warm wind direction plus very sunny days.’’
The conditions are not forecast to last the week, though. A change in wind direction will blow cooler air across the country.
By Friday, parts of the country will be up to 20C cooler than they were yesterday. Timaru’s 37.2C conditions are expected to drop to 17C.
Stonewood Homes Timaru director Chris Karton said at least one of the company’s building sites had been cleared of workers in response to rising temperatures in the town. ‘‘I’m a builder and there’s nowhere to hide when it’s that hot. We don’t want anyone getting dizzy and dehydrated.’’
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