Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (33 N) and Christchurch, New Zealand (44 S)
MB is at 34 N and ChCh is at 43.5 S
Quote:
Originally Posted by wavehunter007
Christchurch is wet, cool, rainy, and has few warm days, but few frosts
ChCh is fairly dry year-round in terms of quantity of rainfall. However, it does rain about every second day during winter, so one could say it has wet winters in that sense (only about a third of winter days have rain in MB).
ChCh has many frosts, averaging 70 days with ground frost per year and 36 days with air frost.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wavehunter007
Myrtle Beach hits 21 C (or higher) many, many days each winter…Christchurch is lucky to hit 21 C in winter once every few years.
Given that the mean winter maximum temp in MB is 14 C it stands to reason that there must also be many winter days with maxima of 7 C or lower. Similarly, MB is subject to far more severe frosts than ChCh (the former being in USDA hardiness zone 8a, the latter 9b). This has implications for vegetation, etc. ChCh hits 21 C in winter once every year or two.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wavehunter007
the warmest months in Christchurch (mean temp 10 to 13 C)...are not too much different from the coolest months in coastal South Carolina (8 to 12 C)
I assume you're comparing the summer minima of ChCh with the winter maxima of MB? ChCh has a 24-hour mean temp of about 17 C during summer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wavehunter007
Christchurch in summer is damp, cool (average daily highs less than 24 C), and often overcast.
I wouldn't call ChCh summers 'damp'. I'm not sure where you get that idea from. They're certainly a lot less damp than MB summers.
My data for both locations is as follows (metric units):
ChCh
-----
Mean Low June / July / August: 2 / 2 / 3
Mean High June / July / August: 11 / 11 / 12
Mean Precipitation June / July / August: 55 / 72 / 62
Mean Daily Sunshine Hours June / July / August: 4 / 4 / 5
Myrtle Beach
-------------
Mean Low December / January / February: 3 / 1 / 2
Mean High December / January / February: 15 / 13 / 15
Mean Precipitation December / January / February: 81 / 102 / 95
Mean Daily Sunshine Hours December / January / February: 6 / 6 / 7
So Myrtle Beach is a little over 1 C warmer (24 hr average) during winter. It's quite a bit sunnier but also has heavier rainfall (albeit less frequent).
Please don't think that I'm being disparaging of MB's climate as it does look rather nice. However, its winters, while slightly warmer and significantly sunnier than those of ChCh, are in the same ballpark temperature-wise.
I find ChCh winters rather unpleasant. Admittedly, they're a lot better than those of, say, Chicago or Minneapolis (or Toronto ), but they're generally uncomfortably chilly. When it's sunny and calm you can go for a walk outside (in a polar fleece and jeans) and not feel uncomfortably cold. But when the wind picks up and that steel-grey sky appears, all you can do is layer on clothing and huddle around the heater.
I figure MB winters (and those of most of the American Southeast) wouldn't be much better. I doubt whether I'd feel comfortable in winter north of Florida. I don't consider a climate to have 'mild' winters unless it's in USDA hardiness zone 10b or higher.
Christchurch is not in fact the coldest of the main NZ urban centres in winter (I presume you think it's colder than Dunedin in winter). That perception is due to an unbalanced comparison of sites like Christchurch Aero, which is colder than the city average, with Musselburgh in Dunedin, which thanks to high night minima is significantly warmer than the Dunedin average. NIWA is unwittingly perpetuating this myth by using the 2 sites mentioned in the monthly summary reports.
Dunedin is hardly a 'main urban centre'
But the forecasts on the news invariably have Dunedin (and even Invercargill) warmer than ChCh (at least as far as overnight lows are concerned).
The way that weather reporters ignore climactic differences between airports and city centres (and outer suburbs) seems to be a common problem around the world.
I live about 300 m from the coast in one of the southern suburbs. There is a PWS nearby which usually reports milder temperatures than the weather websites. I think they've set it up wrong though as it always reads something like 8 C when I have frosty breath outside.
But the forecasts on the news invariably have Dunedin (and even Invercargill) warmer than ChCh (at least as far as overnight lows are concerned).
The way that weather reporters ignore climactic differences between airports and city centres (and outer suburbs) seems to be a common problem around the world.
I live about 300 m from the coast in one of the southern suburbs. There is a PWS nearby which usually reports milder temperatures than the weather websites. I think they've set it up wrong though as it always reads something like 8 C when I have frosty breath outside.
Christchurch Gardens is as warm in winter as Musselburgh, Dunedin, and significantly warmer on an annual basis. I largely ignore PWSs, as there is a good network of present and past stations to draw conclusions from, and far too many PWSs are so badly setup that the owners think they live in special microclimates.
On NZ's scale of things, there are 6 "main" urban centres, so Dunedin and Tauranga are included. I graduated first at Otago, and rate that university as NZ's best.
I cite Wavehunter007's description of Christchurch's climate as possibly the most inaccurate and misleading I have ever seen - and I've seen a few!
Isn't Christchurch significantly drier than many centres in NZ because they are on the leeward side of the Southern Alps? Do you get any Foehn type winds there?
It always amazes me how some people think they know the climates better than the locals who live in a given location.
Isn't Christchurch significantly drier than many centres in NZ because they are on the leeward side of the Southern Alps? Do you get any Foehn type winds there?
It always amazes me how some people think they know the climates better than the locals who live in a given location.
Yes it is. Rainfalls around the area average around the 630-650mm mark. Lowest values in the North Island are around 800mm, but in the South Island the main mountain chain gives much bigger contrasts and there is a significant chunk averaging under 700mm. Lowest values in Central Otago are around 345mm.
Yes it is. Rainfalls around the area average around the 630-650mm mark. Lowest values in the North Island are around 800mm, but in the South Island the main mountain chain gives much bigger contrasts and there is a significant chunk averaging under 700mm. Lowest values in Central Otago are around 345mm.
I can say from my own experience of 26 years living in Christchurch it rarely rains very heavily. Most of the rainfall that does fall is light.
Drive westward for a couple of hours over the Southern Alps to experience real heavy rain - a huge contrast!
I can say from my own experience of 26 years living in Christchurch it rarely rains very heavily. Most of the rainfall that does fall is light.
Drive westward for a couple of hours over the Southern Alps to experience real heavy rain - a huge contrast!
11,500mm per annum at a site at 975m ASL on the Cropp River (record 365-day total was 18,442), and perhaps up to 16,000 in some upwind alpine lcoations. Yet at Cropp there can be periods of up to about 14 days with negligible rainfall.
Sorry I ball parked it…I didn’t have a map in front of me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChesterNZ
ChCh has many frosts, averaging 70 days with ground frost per year and 36 days with air frost..
Not real sure what the difference is …but if that’s the case, then either way Christchurch has more 0 C (32 F) nights than Myrtle Beach (which has about 27 0 C nights).
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChesterNZ
Given that the mean winter maximum temp in MB is 14 C it stands to reason that there must also be many winter days with maxima of 7 C or lower. Similarly, MB is subject to far more severe frosts than ChCh (the former being in USDA hardiness zone 8a, the latter 9b). This has implications for vegetation, etc. ChCh hits 21 C in winter once every year or two..
I think what might be giving you a false impression of the climate of Myrtle Beach (or many other humid subtropical climates in the Gulf/south Atlantic region of the USA)…is that average mean temperatures scarcely do justice to the reality of winter temperatures…unlike in cool temperate oceanic climates like New Zealand which have small daily ranges winter/summer. The handful of cold lows in the winter months…brings down the monthly mean temperatures in the American subtropics making subtropical climates in the USA appear cooler than they are in reality. True, the mean January high (the coldest month) in Myrtle Beach is around 14 C (57 F) give or take…but daily highs less than 7 C (44 F) are very unusual in the winter months (Dec – Feb). Just take the last two normal January’s (the coldest month of the year on average) in Myrtle Beach:
January 2009
Daily Highs less than 7 C (45 F)…3.
Daily highs 10 C to 18.5 C (50 – 65 F)…24
January 2008
Daily Highs less than 7 C (45 F)…8.
Daily Highs 10 C to 18.5 C (50 – 65 F)…19
A day that fails to reach at least 10 C in Myrtle Beach (or anywhere in coastal South Carolina) in winter occurs on perhaps 3/4 days in each of the three winter months. The handful of nights that fall to -7 to -5 C bring down the monthly averages and make MB appear cooler than it is in actuality. Many, many days in winter bring sunny 16 C + daily highs in Myrtle Beach or Charleston…while sunny and 16 C days are much rarer in Christchurch in winter. Garden zones maps are poor indicators of the totality of a local climate for this reason.
Also…my point was that a city like Myrtle Beach/Charleston and a place like Christchurch are far, far apart in their average seasonal temperatures and sensible weather most of the year. 8 months of the year…it is warmer (or much warmer) in a city like Charleston/Myrtle Beach than in Christchurch, NZ - by far. Summers are almost 20 F hotter in South Carolina than in Christchurch, NZ. Five months of the year the mean (24 hr ) temps are over 21 C in coastal South Carolina…while no months have a mean temperature even over 16.5 C in Christchurch, NZ. One can’t reasonably compare the winters in Christchurch – which have 5 months (May through September) with mean temps in the 5.7 to 9.3 C range…with Charleston/MB which has no months below 9 C… and only 3 months even below 13 C:
I find ChCh winters rather unpleasant. Admittedly, they're a lot better than those of, say, Chicago or Minneapolis (or Toronto ), but they're generally uncomfortably chilly. When it's sunny and calm you can go for a walk outside (in a polar fleece and jeans) and not feel uncomfortably cold. But when the wind picks up and that steel-grey sky appears, all you can do is layer on clothing and huddle around the heater.
I figure MB winters (and those of most of the American Southeast) wouldn't be much better. I doubt whether I'd feel comfortable in winter north of Florida. I don't consider a climate to have 'mild' winters unless it's in USDA hardiness zone 10b or higher.
Having spent many weeks in the cold season down in South Carolina…on half of the typical winter days…one would never have to dress like that (polar fleece) to be comfortable. In fact, I have been to MB and Hilton Head island in December, and the tempreture was close to 26 C under blazing sunshine several times...we even laid out on the beach. How often does that happen in Christchurch in June/July/Aug...etc - lol. Most people would find winter weather in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, and Savannah…etc which have many sunny 16 C + days…far more agreeable than the cool, overcast, and windy winter weather of New Zealand.
They are two totally different climates in winter and in summer.
I cite Wavehunter007's description of Christchurch's climate as possibly the most inaccurate and misleading I have ever seen - and I've seen a few!
I will admit that I may have been too quick to place Christchurch in the same category as much of New Zealand. True, it differs from the typical climate in that position in that its rainfall is lower. So yes, it doesn’t’ share the same dreariness/frequent rainfall as typical Do climates like the Pacific Northwest or Northwest Europe. However, the fact remains, even Christchurch is classified as Do (Temperate Oceanic)…so words like “sunshine” and warm/hot weather don’t come to mind right away.
Sorry…I forget how touchy people in oceanic climates are about their weather – lol.
I will admit that I may have been too quick to place Christchurch in the same category as much of New Zealand. True, it differs from the typical climate in that position in that its rainfall is lower. So yes, it doesn’t’ share the same dreariness/frequent rainfall as typical Do climates like the Pacific Northwest or Northwest Europe. However, the fact remains, even Christchurch is classified as Do (Temperate Oceanic)…so words like “sunshine” and warm/hot weather don’t come to mind right away.
Sorry…I forget how touchy people in oceanic climates are about their weather – lol.
I'm not interested in comparisons between Ch'ch and Myrtle Beach, as I think they are pointless. For the record, the former has averaged about 51% of the recordable sunshine over the last 25 years, while Myrtle Beach appears to average about 64%. However it should be noted that the summer-winter difference in cloudiness in Christchurch is not great - no month exceeds 52%, and only in July is the value under 48%.
If I were planning a full-on winter weather escape from clouds and cold (without travelling too far, and avoiding sun angles of the northern summer) then the likes of Broome or Darwin would fit the bill. Further afield, with more modest temperatures but plenty of sunshine, the Brazilian eastern hinterland has proved to be very pleasant.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
), but they're generally uncomfortably chilly. When it's sunny and calm you can go for a walk outside (in a polar fleece and jeans) and not feel uncomfortably cold. But when the wind picks up and that steel-grey sky appears, all you can do is layer on clothing and huddle around the heater.
