Heatwave in South Island New Zealand

El-Nino hits New Zealand

The presposterous weather man in the interview below sees the high temperatures that have hit the South Island are due to two factors - the el-NIno and hot air from Australia  (caused, I would have though by the el-NIno).

Whatever you do don't mention the giant elephant in the room and tell people to enjoy the hot weather.

It is about to hit 31C (87F) in coastal Kaikoura today. Oamaru had its hottest low for October (22C or 78F) and Timaru woke to 26C at 5 am

But the killer for these parts are the hot .Foehn winds that come in from the NW, predicted to hit 140 km (87 mph) inland.

This is JUST the beginning of what has been called the Godzilla el-NIno for this country.

Brace for impact.

Christchurch to reach 27C but fierce winds on the way

Christchurch residents have woken to a balmy 19 degrees Celsius, but strong winds are on the way.

The city is forecast for a high of 27C on Wednesday, which is expected to be the warmest temperature this spring.

Fierce northwest gales will hammer the city by the afternoon with gusts to reach 90kmh and140kmh in inland Canterbury, heightening the potential for fires in rural areas.

According to MetService the temperature at 6.40am was 19.7C in Christchurch, which actually felt like 20C. 

At 7.40am, the city had already reached 21C. 

The warmest temperature in Christchurch so far this spring was 24C on Sunday, when powerful northwest winds caused significant damage across the South Island.

The strongest northwest winds on Wednesday are expected to affect Canterbury, Otago and Southland, where damaging gusts of 140kmh or more are likely, especially in the high country.

Winds of this strength have the potential to damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures, and make driving hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.

These winds could increase the fire risk after strong winds on Sunday whipped up embers from historic burn-offs people thought were out.

The gales should ease behind a front and turn southwest in the evening.

FIREFIGHTERS GEAR UP

Firefighters are preparing to hit fires "hard and fast" as powerful northwest winds risk reigniting historic burn-offs.

A fire is raging in vegetation bordering Christchurch Akaroa Rd in Duvauchelle, and crews have battled rural fires in Mataura and Wallacetown in Southland early Wednesday.

Fire Service southern communications shift manager Andrew Norris said reinforcements were en route to help two fire trucks and three tankers fighting the blaze in Duvauchelle.

He said the fire was caused by a blaze that had reignited. Crews battled the original fire for several hours on Tuesday.

"We have a chainsaw gang heading there, so it looks like we will be dropping some trees."

The size and strength of the fire was unknown at this stage.

On Sunday, fire authorities condemned the number of reignited burn-offs that burned out-of-control in strong northwest winds, particularly in North Canterbury.

Similar conditions are expected on Wednesday.

The winds and warm temperatures can pick up deep-seated ash and transfer embers to dry areas, Norris said.

"The main thing to emphasis to people who have had fires burning in the last few weeks is to recheck them, even if you believe they are out.

"We will be hitting them hard and fast today."