Record June heat and gales spark Canterbury fires ahead of cold snap

Sunday, 21 June 2026

Christchurch residents made the most of Saturday's record June high of 24.7C, unusual for mid-winter.

Christchurch hit a record June high of 24.7C on Saturday as strong northwesterly gales swept across Canterbury, triggering multiple vegetation fires that firefighters scrambled to contain before conditions eased overnight.

The unseasonable heat came as winds gusted to 126kmh in Methven and 124kmh in Springfield - strong enough to disrupt airport operations and send residents to beaches despite it being mid-winter.

The extreme conditions sparked vegetation fires at Eyrewell, Gebbies Valley, Hawarden, Mt Culverden, Emu Plain, Inland Kaikoura Road, and Kaipara on Saturday afternoon.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand deployed multiple crews to each, with some incidents requiring helicopter support. All were largely contained by 9pm as winds eased and rain moved in.

Patchy drizzle eases through Sunday morning before clearing to fine spells in the afternoon as the cold snap settles in.

Canterbury Assistant District Commander Brian Keown warned the region remains extremely dry for this time of year.

“Anyone who has lit an outdoor fire in the last week should check that it is completely out,” he said. “Farmers or lifestyle block owners thinking about land management fires should refer to www.checkitsalright.nz and be mindful of the weather forecast.”

MetService meteorologist Silvia Martino said the temperature spike was striking for late June. “Temperatures are all over the place - we hit 25.1C on Saturday afternoon, but this morning we were at 8.5C,” she said. “Feels quite different for winter solstice.”

From Sunday onwards, a cold snap will grip the region, with lows dropping to near 0C and negatives by Monday morning. Highs will linger in single to low teen digits for most of the week as winter properly settles in.

“It’s looking pretty nice for the majority - perfect, dry, mid-winter weather, which I guess isn’t always for everybody.”

Rain eased to patchy drizzle on Sunday morning, expected to clear later.

Sunday marked the winter solstice, including the longest night of the year.