We can see clearly now the city's gone

ROY SINCLAIR

PEAK PERFORMANCE: The view above the fog was stunning from the Christchurch gondola cableway yesterday morning.

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Not all anticyclones bring sunny weather, as Christchurch residents have found out over the past two days.

The city had a classic case of "anticyclonic gloom" yesterday, with fog and mist giving way to low cloud by late morning.

MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt said there were "10 reasons to hate a high", including anticyclonic gloom.

The gloomy conditions were due to a lid of warm air only a few hundred metres above sea level keeping cold and moist air trapped near the ground.

Conditions would improve only when the wind picked up or the sun managed to break through, he said.

Low cloud or fog patches were likely again this morning.

The conditions caused two international flights to be diverted from Christchurch between 8.30am and 11am. All domestic flights were either cancelled or delayed during the same period.