A few nice forecast images I found:

Lenticular

Image by VernsPics
The weather forecast for the 5 mountain days was not looking good. The first day climb up to Meuller Hut was about the best we were forecast followed by our final descent day which left us with 3 days of bad weather in between.

The formation of Lenticular clouds over the peaks was further confirmation of the impending weather. Over the top of Mt Cook was a perfect example where the moist air comes in from the West and then climbs over 3kms where it expands cools and forms these clouds before heading back down the other side of the range. I’m lead to believe that this is the main reason New Zealand has all year snow and the ability to maintain glaciers.

Despite the weather forecast we were determined to push ahead and really made the most of this day in the fine weather. This spot was where the snow line began and the hard work of plodding through soft snow began…a good time to rest! This is a 7 shot stitch taking in the Hooker Glacier and Mt Cook all the way back to Mt Cook Village.

Weather Forecast

Image by RobW_
Placed next to one’s bed when retiring, the forecast warns of another very hot day tomorrow, when temperatures today had reached up to 45 degrees Celsius.