First snow of winter on Port Hills

Press, 3 June 1983, Page 2

First snow of winter on Port Hills

Biting winds from the Southern Ocean swept the South Island yesterday, bringing the first snow of the winter to the Port Hills and Banks Peninsula. At Sheffield, 60 kilometres inland from Christchurch, Kiwi ingenuity produced a novel method of snow clearing — upsidedown agricultural harrows pulled by tractor — to prepare the town’s rugby field for yesterday’s match between Canterbury Country and the touring Newcastle team. Widespread snowfalls occurred in the inland high country. Five centimetres fell at the Mount Hutt Skifield during Wednesday night. The snow was down to about 300 metres on the Port Hills and on the Kaikoura Ranges.

In Christchurch, temperatures as low as 3 deg. during the day were accompanied by brief hail storms. No damage was reported. It was relatively warm in Christchurch compared with Twizel, South Canterbury, where residents were shivering in temperatures of minus 4 deg. at 11 a.m., after a black frost under overcast skies. Arthur’s Pass, which had been closed to traffic on Wednesday evening, was reopened yesterday morning. All high-country roads were open last evening, but the Automobile Association (Canterbury) said that extreme care was essential on Arthur’s Pass and the Lewis Pass. Chains should not be needed, however. The forecast for today was for clearing weather, becoming fine.