Christchurch, New Zealand Assignment 1: Climate and Weather Summary

Located at 43°31′48″S, 172°37′13″E, in New Zealand's "Eastern South Island" climate zone, the mid-latitude, maritime city of Christchurch has a mild climate compared to Denver, which it somewhat resembles (when you're not facing the ocean):

THIS IS TOTALLY DENVER, RIGHT? YEAH, NO.
Denver's climate is continental, which means big annual temperature differences ranging from -20F in the winter to 100F in summer. Christchurch, in contrast, might range from 45F to 80F (7 to 26 degrees Celsius). 
Mountains AND ocean AND Hobbits? Sounds awesome to me.
"Christchurch City" by Photographer: P. Stalder (English user page) / P. Stalder (deutsche Benutzerseite)
 Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Christchurch's weather patterns are influenced by the prevailing winds, the Southern Alps mountain range to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. They are also affected by El Nino events.

30-year mean monthly temperatures:

I WANT TO LIVE HERE. DON'T YOU? WELL, I DON'T KNOW... 
THE WHOLE "SUMMER IN FEBRUARY" THING SEEMS WRONG TO ME.
 Created in Microsoft Excel with data obtained 3/10/2015 from NIWA's database for Christchurch Aero weather station

Its warmest summer temperatures (December through March) are produced by northwesterly foehns off the mountains, but summer highs are moderated by localized convective lifting from the heat island effect, which augments the sea breeze off the prevailing anticyclonic air flow at sea level.

Mean summer daytime highs range between 18-26 degrees Celsius, with a 30-year mean high of 22.7 degrees in January for 1981-2010 - though the monthly mean has ranged as high as 35.9 (in February 2011). 

The mean diurnal temperature difference is remarkably constant throughout the year due to the moderating ocean.

Westerly and northwesterly winds prevail throughout much of the year. In the warmer months, Christchurch is "caught" between two subtropical high pressure zones that generally serve to stabilize its weather patterns.

Summer prevailing subtropical high pressure systems.
Westerlies can sometimes develop depressions that bring strong winds and heavy rain to the western and northwestern areas of the islands, but little of the precipitation reaches Christchurch on the eastern coast.
From the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/map/7747/mean-atmospheric-pressure-1971-2000

Its winters, though!!

I'M THINKING MAYBE CARADHRAS WAS A BAD IDEA, FRODO.
Image from http://mikelrico.biz/Proyectos/magosybrujasencineytv.es/archivos/PELICULAS_archivos/esdla.HTM

Just kidding. Christchurch's winters do get cold, with around 99 frost days per year, and it does experience snow, but with a mean low temperature of 1.9C in July, the city's average winter low only differs from its summer high by about 20C. 

Christchurch's temperate, maritime humid climate doesn't get as much rainfall as might be expected. Precipitation occurs throughout the year, with somewhat higher amounts in the winter months and more dry spells in summer. The East Australian Current brings warm water to the island's western side, which helps drive cloud formation, and the prevailing westerlies move the moisture eastward; however, the orographic effect limits precipitation on the eastern plains. 

RAIN, BUT NOT TOO RAINY.
 Christchurch receives an average of only 600-700 mm of precipitation per year.
(http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/climate/page-2).
Graph created in Microsoft Excel with data obtained 3/10/2015 from NIWA's database for Christchurch Aero weather station

The orographic effect in action! Christchurch, in the orange area just above the little green mountain jutting out about 2/3 of the way up the South Island's eastern coast, is in the 500-760 mm range, whereas the Divide of the Southern Alps only a hundred kilometers away often receives 10,000 mm. 
https://www.niwa.co.nz/sites/niwa.co.nz/files/sites/default/files/images/climate_-_nz_rainfall_1971-2000.jpg

Christchurch's weather and climate are also influenced by ENSO.

During El Nino events, Pacific heat and moisture shift eastward, producing stronger southwesterly winds and cooler temperatures. Although the west coast of the South island gets more precipitation during those periods, the Christchurch area remains drier.
During La Ninas, high pressure intensifies to the east of the South Island, producing warmer temperatures and drier conditions west of the mountains, which can result in actual drought for the eastern plains.
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/climate/page-3 

Christchurch's Bowen ratio is probably around 0.6. The city is much more humid than Denver (which is 1.5), and it's on the ocean (which is 0.1). Relative humidity ranges from 47%-97% but averages around 80%. If Europe averages 0.62 including inland continental areas, and New Zealand's South Island climate is roughly similar but closer to the ocean, then it should be a bit lower than Europe, and definitely lower than the average worldwide land value of 0.96.

THE FELLOWSHIP WILL CONSIDER THE VALIDITY OF THIS ESTIMATE. 

LOOK FOR THEIR DECISION AT SUNRISE ON THE THIRD DAY. 

http://gulfnews.com/polopoly_fs/1.969945!/image/3907449654.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_475/3907449654.jpg