Editing Southern Alps (section)

===Climate===
New Zealand has a humid maritime, temperate climate with the Southern Alps lying perpendicular to the prevailing westerly flow of air. Annual precipitation varies greatly across the range, from {{convert|3000|mm}} at the [[West Coast, New Zealand|West Coast]], {{convert|15000|mm}} close to the Main Divide, to {{convert|1000|mm}} {{convert|30|km}} east of the Main Divide.<ref>{{cite report |publisher=NIWA |author1=Willsman AP |author2=Chinn TJ |author3=Hendrikx J |author4=Lorrey A |year=2010 |url=https://www.niwa.co.nz/sites/niwa.co.nz/files/import/attachments/NIWA-New-Zealand-Glacier-Monitoring-End-of-Summer-Snowline-Survey-2010.pdf |title=New Zealand Glacier Monitoring: End of Summer Snowline Survey 2010 |location=New Zealand |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029065258/https://www.niwa.co.nz/sites/niwa.co.nz/files/import/attachments/NIWA-New-Zealand-Glacier-Monitoring-End-of-Summer-Snowline-Survey-2010.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2017  }}</ref> This high precipitation aids the growth of [[glacier]]s above the [[snow line]]. Large glaciers and snowfields can be found west of or on the Main Divide, with smaller glaciers farther east (See [[Glaciers of New Zealand]]).

Because of its orientation perpendicular to the prevailing westerly winds, the range creates excellent wave soaring conditions for [[Glider aircraft|glider]] pilots. The town of [[Omarama]], in the lee of the mountains, has gained an international reputation for its gliding conditions. The prevailing westerlies also create a weather pattern known as the ''[[Nor'west arch]]'', in which moist air is pushed up over the mountains, forming an arch of cloud in an otherwise blue sky. This weather pattern is frequently visible in summer across [[Canterbury Region|Canterbury]] and [[North Otago]]. The 'Nor'wester' is a [[foehn wind]] similar to the [[Chinook wind|Chinook]] of Canada, where mountain ranges in the path of prevailing moisture laden winds force air upwards, thus cooling the air and condensing the moisture to rain, producing hot dry winds in the descending air lee of the mountains.