Editing South Island (section)

===Climate===

The [[climate]] in the South Island is mostly [[temperate climate|temperate]]. The mean temperature for the South Island is {{convert|8|C}}.<ref>From NIWA Science [http://www.niwascience.co.nz/edu/resources/climate/overview/ climate overview].</ref> January and February are the warmest months, while July is the coldest. Historical [[maxima and minima]] are {{convert|42.4|C}} in [[Rangiora]], [[Canterbury Region|Canterbury]] and {{convert|-25.6|C|F}} in [[Ranfurly, New Zealand|Ranfurly, Otago]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 June 2017 |title=New Zealand's coldest recorded temperature |url=https://niwa.co.nz/news/new-zealands-coldest-recorded-temperature |access-date=15 March 2024 |website=NIWA |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=15 March 2024 |title=NZ's temperature record hits new low – minus 25.6degC |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nzs-temperature-record-hits-new-low-minus-256degc/QLZUFM4XQ45CRGHSHGNVH7ZQWE/ |access-date=15 March 2024 |website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |language=en-NZ }}</ref>

Conditions vary sharply across the regions, from extremely wet on the [[West Coast, New Zealand|West Coast]] to [[semi-arid]] in the [[Mackenzie Basin]] of inland [[Canterbury Region|Canterbury]]. Most areas have between {{cvt|600|and(-)|1600|mm}} of [[precipitation (meteorology)|rainfall]] with the most rain along the West Coast and the least rain on the East Coast, predominantly on the [[Canterbury Plains]]. [[Christchurch]] is the driest city, receiving about {{convert|640|mm}} of rain per year, while [[Invercargill]] is the wettest, receiving about {{convert|1150|mm}}. The southern and south-western parts of South Island have a cooler and cloudier climate, with around 1,400–1,600 hours of [[sunshine]] annually; the northern and north-eastern parts of the South Island are the sunniest areas and receive about 2,400–2,500 hours.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.niwascience.co.nz/__data/assets/file/0006/44655/sunshine.xls |title=Mean monthly sunshine hours |publisher=[[National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research]] |format=XLS |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015102420/http://www.niwascience.co.nz/__data/assets/file/0006/44655/sunshine.xls |archive-date=15 October 2008 }}</ref>

{{Wide image|Southern Alps from Hamilton Peak.jpg|1080px|Panoramic view of some of the Southern Alps in winter from the summit of Hamilton Peak in the [[Craigieburn Range]]}}