Thought yesterday was cold? -4.5C Monday beats Sunday for coldest in five years

Monday, 27 July 2026

Kylie Ray was one of 70 hardy beachgoers taking part in the Polar Plunge at New Brighton Beach on Saturday to raise money for Special Olympics athletes.

Christchurch has recorded its coldest morning of the winter, with temperatures dropping to -4.5C at 6.35am on Monday – edging out Sunday’s -4.3C plunge.

MetService meteorologist Ethan Walton-Jones said the clear skies were to blame.

“Under a ridge of high pressure with no cloud insulating, all heat is completely leaving the ground,” he said.

While Christchurch shivered, Lake Pukaki was colder, dropping to -8C overnight.

Sunday’s chill caused a lake in Christchurch’s Ferrymead to freeze.

The last time it was colder in Christchurch was on September 30, 2020, when it dropped to -4.8C.

It follows an icy weekend, with snow falling on Banks Peninsula hills near Little River on Saturday and ski fields reporting some of their best conditions of the season.

Sunday’s chill caused a lake in Christchurch’s Ferrymead to freeze.

Snow on the hills of Banks Peninsula seen from Birdlings Flat.

Porters Alpine Resort said Sunday was tipped to be its best day of the year, while Mt Hutt received 20cm of snow in 48 hours.

More frosts are expected overnight into Tuesday and Wednesday, though Walton-Jones said they won’t be as severe as Monday's.

A walker in shorts on the trail by Lake Ellesmere on Sunday, the second coldest day in five years.

Temperatures will gradually climb through the week, reaching a high of 16C by Thursday before dropping again Friday and Saturday, with overnight lows dipping back below zero.

Walton-Jones said skies above Christchurch were expected to remain clear through the week.

The coldest day in Christchurch on record was July 18, 1980, when it dropped to -6.8C. MetService records go back to 1953.