Weather maps aren't especially cool or sexy images. They make for a lousy conversation opener. Explaining to your mate about isobar projections or pressure gradients is a sure way for him to suddenly remember something more important he should be doing.Yet for the tour guide we look with rapture at a glorious high pressure system lazily approaching the country. Such an image all but guarantees a tour of sun, no wind, no rain and lots of happy faces on our customers. On the other hand, a sinister western front, with isobars jammed up together in an ugly zigzag, like the scene above, can mean only one thing - wind strong enough to blow us off the skifield.
This image was produced this morning at 7.00am and is a classic example of a westerly front. Wind gusts to over 100kph are buffetting parts of the South Island. In conditions like this the Canterbury ski fields have no chance of opening, so all our weekeend ski tours were cancelled.
On the plus side, it's nice to have a Sunday off every now and then...
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