Wind gusts of up to 85kmh ripped through parts of Christchurch this afternoon.

A tree has been uprooted in the city centre, and a Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority spokeswoman said cranes working on the Clarendon Tower site had shut down because of the weather.

MetService spokesman Dan Corbett said the cold front was "definitely a noticeable one".

The temperature had plummeted from 12.4 degrees Celsius at 3.30pm to 6.5C just an hour later.

"The good news, however, is that it's moving through pretty quickly. It was in Oamaru only a few hours ago, so it's not messing about," he said.

Parts of Banks Peninsula had winds of up 85kmh, he said, while winds in the central city were hitting between 60kmh and 70kmh.

Corbett said it would be a cold, frosty night, and hill suburbs might see some snow.

"It should clear overnight, and the next couple of days will be fine before a southwest change on Thursday."

The front had brought thunderstorms to Mid-Canterbury, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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