Tuesday, Dec 22, 2015
Since Sept 27, 1879
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
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The tills finally ring P4
35 degrees hot enough for you? BY SUSAN SANDYS
SUSAN.S@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
Hotshots on the lake P24
Milk production dropped, crops wilted and shoppers stayed away as the mercury soared to over 35°C yesterday. Ashburton reached 35.3°C at about 1.30pm, according to the MetService, when it was the hottest place in the country, before it dropped slightly and was overtaken by Christchurch, which climbed to 37°C. Ashburton’s hottest December day since records began in 1928 was 36.3°C, which was recorded on Christmas Day in 1971. Paper Plus Ashburton owner Terry McNab said shoppers were staying home or taking their children swimming, and foot traffic was down about 10 per cent yesterday. Traditional weekday Christmas shopping figures showed how many shoppers the shop might expect through the door. “But we are not going to get anywhere near it, because it’s just too hot.” However, those who did go into the
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store commented on how they liked the air-conditioning and perhaps it made them stay inside a little bit longer. The hot weather comes after hail and a cold snap last week, which saw 20cm of snow fall on Mt Hutt. “We are certainly getting every weather type thrown at us at the moment,” said arable section chairwoman for Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers, Joanne Burke. Hail had affected a number of crops, and high temperatures could cause heat stress, although rain last week had been much appreciated. “This is el nino, we can only protect ourselves so much.” Dairy farmers and their livestock also felt the heat. Dairy section chairwoman Jessie ChanDorman said the air temperature comfort zone for cows was from -5°C to 25°C. Yesterday milk production would potentially have been down across the district and farmers would also have had to cope with evapotranspiration levels affecting pasture growth. Tar melted on the dis-
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trict’s roads in the heat and the Ashburton District Council fielded calls requesting contractors deal with the problem. Racecourse Road in particular required attention. Roading manager Brian Fauth said it was treated with a light grit to prevent melted tar spraying over vehicles. MetService meteorologist Claire Flynn said a warm air mass which had come across the Tasman from Australia, combined with nor’west winds, was responsible for the high temperatures. A cold front with southerly winds behind it and some rain would come through about 4.30am, and there would be a maximum of just 21°C today. Winds in last week’s cold snap and this week’s hot day had westerly components, which tended to be contributed to el nino. A dry settled week, with temperatures in the 18 to 19 range, would lead into Christmas Day when a maximum of 22 degrees is forecast, featuring morning cloud clearing with light winds.
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