The Resilience and Response of Farm Households in the Aftermath of the 2006 Canterbury Snow Storm
Context: The snow event and its impact
The snow storm of 12 June 2006 affected a large part of the Canterbury region. Worst affected were the Ashburton, Timaru, Mackenzie and Waimate districts (see Figure 2).
The snow storm is referred to as a ‘weather bomb’ because of its unexpectedly severe impact. Large snow storms in the Canterbury region are not unprecedented – similar significant events have occurred in living memory (in 1945, 1967, 1973, 1992, 1996, and 2002) and can be expected to occur again. Snowfall tends to be highly variable within the Canterbury region and the impacts of previous snow storms have varied in different locations; however, the 2006 event is regarded as the most severe on a regional scale since 1945, and snow depth in Ashburton was the greatest ever recorded.
Figure 2: The Canterbury region and districts
(Source: http://www.christchurchnz.net/)
The storm was the result of a rapidly deepening depression which moved on 11 June from the mid-Tasman Sea south-eastward across New Zealand with a strong north-westerly air stream ahead and a very cold southerly flow behind. When the pressure at the centre of a depression falls by more than 24hPa in 24 hours it is often referred to as a ‘bomb’ depression. These depressions may be accompanied by high precipitation rates and consequently heavy rain or snow. In this instance, the cold air from the southerly flow underneath the warm moist air caused the precipitation to fall as snow. The centre of the depression tracked over the north of the South Island on 12 June. Heavy snow began falling in Canterbury on the night of 11–12 June and continued until the morning of the 12th.
New Zealand has a complex climate due to the influences of mountain chains and oceans. In the South Island, the Southern Alps are a significant influence on weather events and added to the difficulty in forecasting the location and extent of the 12 June snow. Snow fell throughout the south and east of the South Island, from North Canterbury in the north through South Canterbury to Central Otago. Snow was forecast to reach down to 500 metres but reached sea level in many areas. Snow depth and intensity varied greatly throughout the region (see Figure 3). The intensity of the storm exceeded predictions. Snow depth increased to the northwest and into the lower foothills of the Southern Alps. Inland areas around Fairlie and Mt Hutt experienced the greatest snow depths (up to 100cm), while areas such as Dunsandal and Oxford received less than 20cm.
The storm caused considerable damage to electricity distribution systems and subsequent loss of phone services and communications. In some areas electricity and phone services were not restored for more than three weeks. Road networks were disrupted for periods from a few hours to several days. Stock losses were minimal (although not inconsequential) on most farms, with a few situations being considered animal welfare cases (most often on hobby farms or lifestyle blocks). The loss of stock condition was significant. Much damage occurred to fences, trees and some buildings. June 2006 was the coldest in over 50 years, and successive frosts in the days and weeks after the storm froze the snow so that it lay in some areas for up to seven weeks. The longevity of the snow took a psychological and physical toll on farmers as they worked in freezing conditions and woke each morning unsure when things would improve. This situation was compounded because as the storm had struck early in the winter, there was an ongoing threat that another snow storm could hit the region.
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