Wednesday & Thursday (24th & 25th July)

The weather will remain mostly fine and sunny during this period, but it'll be the last of a long, dry spell that has brought little snowfall to South Island ski fields since that snowstorm at the start of the month.

The Southern Lakes will see a little bit of cloud, while southwest winds gradually turn northwest. A stiff southwester in Canterbury will drop off on Wednesday and remain light through Thursday.

Friday & the Weekend (26th to 28th July)

Unsettled weather will build during this period as a front parks up over the South Island, spilling rain over the Main Divide with strong, gusty northwest winds. The rain will mostly be light, and any snowfall will be restricted to the tops. But you'll still need your wet-weather gear, and keep an eye on ski field reports as some lift operations could be affected by the winds.

First, rain showers turn up early Friday on Treble Cone before spreading to the other Southern Lakes ski fields later that day. Canterbury will only be partly cloudy on Friday, but the rain showers will arrive there on Saturday while persisting over the Southern Lakes. There'll be more rain on Sunday with some heavier falls possible.

The extended forecast looks very promising. Models are now aligning nicely for what is likely to be the first decent snowfall in nearly a month. Freezing winds from the south are expected to start rolling in on Monday, July 29th, bringing snowfall to low levels over several days through Thursday, August 1st, or Friday, August 2nd. Canterbury is well-placed to receive deep totals, whereas the Southern Lakes are looking on the lighter side—it's still early days, so that's subject to change.

Thanks for reading. I'll continue to provide these forecasts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout the southern hemisphere season.

Mike O'Connor