Cold Snap
It is the depths of winter here in New Zealand. Normally that does not mean a lot to an ex-Brit like me, since the climate in Auckland is sub-tropical, but for the last few days we have had a real cold snap, with frosts and all. There has been heavy snow in the more mountainous regions of New Zealand, which is good news for winter sports fanatics.
The temperature on my electronic weather station was at 2 degrees C this morning, which means it would have dropped down to freezing overnight. There was frost on the ground to prove it. This is as cold as it ever gets here, which you can tell because NZ buildings and heating systems are simply not designed for real cold. Native Kiwis are a hardy breed, descended from the pioneers who settled here in the 19th century, or from the earlier Maori tribes. Our house is old and particularly drafty, and my workplace is not much better. So it's out with the winter woollies for the first time in ages. Even the cats were huddled together for warmth when I left for work (Awwww, cute!).
Today there is not a cloud in the beautiful blue sky and I can feel the cold emanating from the windows of my laboratory. It's likely to be even colder tonight, but the weather can change so rapidly here that it's quite difficult to make accurate predictions. Yesterday, in a bored moment, I was watching the clouds from my lab window as they raced across the sky at an incredible velocity. I'm lucky enough to have a great view of Auckland city and some of the extinct volcanoes that dot the cityscape, because the lab is itself built on the slopes of one of them (Mt Albert).
The temperature on my electronic weather station was at 2 degrees C this morning, which means it would have dropped down to freezing overnight. There was frost on the ground to prove it. This is as cold as it ever gets here, which you can tell because NZ buildings and heating systems are simply not designed for real cold. Native Kiwis are a hardy breed, descended from the pioneers who settled here in the 19th century, or from the earlier Maori tribes. Our house is old and particularly drafty, and my workplace is not much better. So it's out with the winter woollies for the first time in ages. Even the cats were huddled together for warmth when I left for work (Awwww, cute!).
Today there is not a cloud in the beautiful blue sky and I can feel the cold emanating from the windows of my laboratory. It's likely to be even colder tonight, but the weather can change so rapidly here that it's quite difficult to make accurate predictions. Yesterday, in a bored moment, I was watching the clouds from my lab window as they raced across the sky at an incredible velocity. I'm lucky enough to have a great view of Auckland city and some of the extinct volcanoes that dot the cityscape, because the lab is itself built on the slopes of one of them (Mt Albert).