Weather Watch: Autumn rolls into Christchurch

Strong winds are throwing up dust and silt caused by liquefaction. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Dust is again going to be a problem for Christchurch later today and again tomorrow as winds pick back up again.

Yesterday the city was covered in dust as near gale force winds gusting to 80km/h blew liquefaction dust and particles of dry sewage into peoples eyes, noses and mouths - read this first hand account by NZHerald.co.nz reporter Paul Harper.

Winds today will be picking up from the north east, so a different direction to yesterday - and they won't be as strong. But it does mean suburbs to the south west will be affected. But it will be those areas directly hit by liquefaction that will be worst affected - the suburbs with dust still lining the streets.

Tomorrow the winds will pick up further as our second Autumn system this week rolls through. It's likely to bring hot air again as the winds will be from the north west - following this morning's winter-like start the heat will be welcome again with WeatherWatch.co.nz predicting highs of around 28 to 30 across the greater Christchurch region on Friday.

On Saturday the rain comes - this will stop the dust and give people a good chance to collect rain water. We've said before that collecting rain off the roof is the easiest way to do it, however with the recent dust storms it would be wise to let the rain fall for a while to "clean the roof" first. Remember that dust contains toxic particles including sewage.

Your best bet is to collect fresh rain water directly from the source - in buckets, pots, paddling pools - anything that hasn't been exposed to the dust. A paddling pool might sound odd, but for those who don't have clean running water the pool could be left out for when the sun returns next week and used to have a bath in.

Another idea is to get to the Warehouse or a camping store and buy solar showers. They are cheap - should be less than $20 - and on a sunny day they can be scorching hot.

The rain will also help clear the dust away causing it to wash off roads and back into the ground in some places. While not good for the search and rescue teams the rain will have some positive affects for the city, particularly in the form of fresh, clean, drinkable water and a form of helping clean up some of the dust issues.

The wet change on Saturday will be a cool one, with Sunday and Monday not looking especially warm - or pleasant for that matter, with plenty of cloud and rain or showers about. The sun returns on Tuesday - and should last the rest of the working week.

Heavy rain will spread across much of New Zealand this weekend for a time ... the weather patterns are changing and Autumn is now arriving.