Introduction

Christchurch, New Zealand is the largest city on the South Island of the country. It is located at 41° South and 174° East. This location is between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle placing it in the temperate zone of the southern hemisphere. Although it has a dry, temperate climate, Christchurch is dominated by maritime tropical air masses from the ocean surrounding New Zealand. Christchurch lies on the Eastern Coast of New Zealand just next to the Pacific Ocean, in the valley of the Southern Alps to the West. According to the weather station I will be using for most of my information (ICHRISTC10), the temperatures vary from 44°F to 94°F in the summer, from 36°F to 81°F in the fall, from 25°F to 69°F in the winter, and from 32°F to 81°F in the spring. It is important to note that the months involved in the season are opposite since the city is in the southern hemisphere. Also, these temperature ranges are an average of the data collected over the past five years.