Hi everyone.. I'm still putting the March Newsletter together. 

Here's the next section, with newsclippings from Decmber 2006 and January 2007.

Bob McDavitt, newsletter editor.

Lake Wakatipu drops below flood warning point

Thursday 7 Dec 2006

http://www.queenstown.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2024&Itemid=1&pop=1&page=0

This morning at 9am Lake Wakatipu dropped below the first flood warning level, after eight days in the enhanced monitoring zone, Queenstown Lakes District Council spokeswoman Meaghan Miller said.  Lake Wakatipu peaked on Friday last week without any threat of flooding.  This morning the lake dropped below the warning level of 310.8m and was continuing to drop but further rain could see the warning zone reached again over the weekend.

Police mount search for missing girl in downpour

 Monday December 18, 2006 By Juliet Rowan   http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10415940

Businesses and homes are flooded and a young girl was feared drowned after heavy downpours deluged Rotorua this afternoon.

The MetService is urging Rotorua residents to be prepared for more heavy rain, and warning that the whole Bay of Plenty could be affected.

Firefighters began a frantic search for the girl, who was reported to have been swept away by a swollen river, about 4.15pm.

She was found just after 5pm.

Extended Paraparaumu Technical Facility Opened

Issued at 12:01pm 20-Dec-2006

 http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0612/S00055.htm

A wet morning failed to dampen the enthusiasm of MetService staff celebrating the opening of an extended and upgraded technical maintenance facility at Paraparaumu today.

Chief Executive John Lumsden told staff and guests at a ribbon cutting ceremony how important these improvements will be for the continuing success of MetService: "Our forecasters simply could not function without the high-performing network of weather radars, automatic weather stations and upper air sounding stations operated by the Paraparaumu engineers, while the equally large network of weather stations that serve our customers, from Invercargill to Kaitaia, across the Pacific, and from Uluru to Lahore and London, contribute strongly to our business."

MetService's Paraparaumu facility - prominent within the airport complex with its golf ball-like radar dome - was originally constructed as an upper air observatory in 1987. MetData Services manager Tony Quayle reflected on its transition to a sophisticated maintenance facility: "The same technology advances that have given us cell phones and the internet have also revolutionised the way we make weather observations. Twenty years ago, most observations were made by observers reading instruments and observing sky and weather conditions. Now, we have automatic weather stations measuring all these elements and sending in data every minute. Balloon soundings are now easily managed by one person and, at Paraparaumu, are made by a contractor, Kapiti Weather Consultants."

MetData Services operations manager Bob Taylor, who runs the Paraparaumu facility, went to on explain how the 14-strong maintenance team supports these networks. "Every one of the almost 200 MetService and customer sites, including several in the Pacific, is visited at least annually for maintenance and calibration. A duty engineer is constantly on standby to attend to any equipment faults. Our calibration laboratory ensures our measurements are traceable to international standards," said Mr. Taylor.

MetService dreaming of a White Christmas

White Christmas no dream as hail blows up a storm

5:00AM Friday December 22, 2006 By James Ihaka  http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10416509

Parts of the Waikato and Bay of Plenty were blanketed with hail yesterday as a freakish weather pattern shifted across the central North Island. Unseasonal weather had Tokoroa looking like a Northern Hemisphere Christmas card after hailstones the size of 10c coins struck in an intense 10-minute storm about 5.30pm.

 John Van De Ven, a freelance photographer, said it was particularly special at this time of the year. "Everyone loved it. It just looks so Christmasy - it's quite unusual for this time of year, especially with Christmas just around the corner."

Merty the dog races through the hail at Edna Place, Opotiki, after yesterday afternoon's storm. Photo / Shona Browne

Opotiki resident Shona Browne said she knew the weather forecast was for lightning, thunder and possible hail storms but was still shocked by yesterday's events which saw Opotiki looking as if it had snowed. "It's absolutely amazing. We've got our white Christmas," she said.

MetService forecaster Oliver Druce said hail had been predicted for parts of the Waikato and Bay of Plenty but it was unlikely there would be similar activity in the days up to Christmas.

Hail is formed when up draughts in thunderstorms carry raindrops upward into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere. Despite the winter conditions, things are looking up for those heading away on holidays this weekend.

MetService meteorologists are forecasting a period of clearing weather over the weekend before Christmas. "Some snow is falling on the mountains today and tonight," spokesman Bob McDavitt said. "This will only briefly settle because Friday is the longest day of the year. This has been a wet southerly. Christchurch had 56mm of rain overnight and this morning, with almost half of this falling between 3am and 5am.

Warm welcome to Santa but cooler times ahead

Sunday December 24, 2006 By Miles Erwin  - HERALD ON SUNDAY

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10416706

Auckland is expected to be fine and sunny and about 22C on Christmas day. Christmas day is going to be a cracker - with hot sunny weather forecast for most of the country.

Weather Highlights of 2006

Wed 27 Dec 2006

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0612/S00067.htm

It was the coldest June since 1972, and that was mainly due to the "snowball storm" that hit on 11-12 June. We had a southerly autumn, an early and slippery winter, a windy spring and then a cool start to summer. This article gives some notes from the diary of the MetService Weather Ambassador Bob McDavitt to help you re-live the main damaging events of our weather during 2006.

Monday 2 Jan: The first big blow of 2006 came when a low-pressure system deepened to 950 hPa near Campbell Island. Trees were toppled in Dunedin and bush fires were fanned in Christchurch. Wind blown braches cut power to parts of Wellington and Balclutha. Heavy rain hit the Arthurs Pass area and snow coated the Queenstown hills.

Tuesday 24 Jan: The day after Wellington's anniversary day. Easterly winds gusted to 130 kph in Auckland. Power was cut to 7,000 homes in Coromandel.

28th-29th-30th January: An anticyclone brought a heat wave to central Otago. Alexandra hit 36 degrees. During this period Wellington airport had problems with fog.

Waitangi Day, 6th February. The Westport reservoir was drying out. An evening waterspout was seen between Waiheke and Auckland harbour.

Friday 10 February deluge: A front stalled over the North Island and brought 150mm of rain to Whakatane and a report of 250mm near Matata.

Friday 3 March: Polar outbreak #1 came with a southerly from the Southern Ocean. Gusts reached 113 kph in Lyttelton, 137 in Kaikoura, and 143 at Mt. Kaukau. 8 to 10m swells cancelled the Cook Strait ferries. Trees were snapped in Christchurch, roofs lifted in Wellington, and a warehouse fire fanned in Hawke's Bay.

Late March cyclones. CYCLONE LARRY reached category 5 before it made landfall north of Cairns and single-handedly took out more than 50% of the Queensland banana crop. CYCLONE WATI followed in Larry's path but then diverted towards New Zealand and crossed Whangarei on Wednesday 29 March. It weakened a lot in the Tasman Sea but still managed to bring a brief gale to Cape Reinga and around 100mm of rain to Kaikohe.

Thursday 6 April. A tornado ripped through part of a house at Kapiti.

Anzac day and day after: Polar Outbreak #2 was caused by rain clouds wrapping around onto south Canterbury just as a southerly arrived. Flooding affected Oamaru, Dunedin, Mosgiel, and Taieri. 300 homes were evacuated. Snow closed Lindis Pass.

Friday 28 April. A few days later another rain band stalled over Coromandel, and the Ohinemuri River flooded closing the Karangahake gorge. Pauanui was also hit by flooding. At Hahei a landslip undermined a house.

Sunday 14 May. Mother's day southerly and polar outbreak #3. Snow closed Milford Road, Burkes Pass and the Desert Road.

Saturday 27 May. Super 14 final at Jade stadium was affected by thick fog. Lows scrummed together in the Tasman Sea and mauled across Southland. The fog rapidly formed in the moist calm air left behind over Canterbury.

Monday 12 June. Polar outbreak #4. Winter started with a bang when a deepening low managed to mix moist air from the tropics with cold air fresh from the southern ocean. This low-pressure system was a large feature and MetService issued a record number of wind, rain and snow warnings. Hokitika was flooded, a gale in Auckland cut power to half the city for around five hours, and trees were toppled in Taupo and Tauranga. Snow blanketed Canterbury to a depth of 25cm at sea level (in Timaru) and up to 90cm deep around Fairlie. This snow lasted on the inland Plains for a fortnight. 10,000 homes were affected by power cuts in Canterbury and some of these cuts lasted until the end of June. Insurance claims reached around $43 million. The snow laid good foundations for a bumper ski season that realised $75 million revenue.

Sunday 18 June: Polar Outbreak #5. A southeasterly gale brought gusts to 98kph to New Plymouth and 80 kph to Gisborne. Both the Desert Road and the Napier-Taupo road were closed by snow.

Wednesday 21 June: Polar Outbreak #6. Another southerly brought snow that closed all the central North Island main roads and settled down to 500m in Hawke's Bay.

During July four very wet low-pressure systems hit the area from Wairarapa to Wanganui and around Wellington, two in the first week, saturating the soils and leading to a slippery winter.

Wednesday 5 July. Martinborough was cut off by floodwaters. Winds to 146 kph damaged roofs in Wellington.

Friday 7 July. Flooding affected Carterton and Masterton, the Desert road was closed by snow and HW2 out of Wellington was reduced to one lane by a slip at Horokiwi. The Mangamahu Bridge between Wanganui and Mangamahu was washed out and 125 homes were evacuated from rising floodwaters at Whangaehu near Wanganui.

Friday 14 July. A slip damaged two homes at Hunterville. Slips closed the Rimutaka Road, and there was another slip at Horokiwi.

Thursday 20 July. A slip undermined a house in Eastbourne.

Sun 6 August. A low-pressure system moved onto the North Island. A heavy downpour led to a car being washed into a drain at Wellsford. Whakatane had 105mm of rain. The next day a slip started in Kelson near Lower Hutt, undermining a house. The following day, the Heathcote River in Christchurch flooded.

Tuesday 22 Aug. Polar Outbreak #7 Snow settled to a depth of 30cm in the Tekapo Basin, and was enough to close roads in Otago, and schools in Dunedin.

Saturday 26 August. Another low crossed the North Island. Slips derailed the Johnsonville train and damaged houses in Kilbirnie and Te Aro.

Saturday 2 September: A low-pressure system deepened from 976 hPa to 950 hPa to south of Campbell Island producing a vigorous westerly flow over the South Island. Trees were toppled at Athol and a car and caravan were blown off the road near Lake Tekapo. The Mid-Dome anemometer in Southland reported gusts to 195kph (strongest recorded wind gust of 2006).

Sunday 17 September: Polar Outbreak #8. Several hundred new-born lambs in Southland and Otago succumbed to wet windy conditions.

Sunday 1 October: An afternoon thunderstorm in Auckland brought wind and flooding damage to Henderson and slips that resulted in three houses being evacuated in Birkenhead.

Wednesday 4 October. Polar Outbreak #9. This southerly disrupted transport in Wellington: planes, trains, and ferries were cancelled. A rail bridge at Mauriceville, north of Masterton, was washed out.

Sunday to Monday 8-9 October. Strong northwesterlies felled trees and cut power to 1,100 homes in Southland and Otago.

Thursday 12 October. A roof was ripped from a building at Timaru Boys High School. During the following few days peat fires were fanned around Dunedin hills.

Thursday 19 October: Wind gusts lifted asphalt from the road up to Mt John and reached 176 kph at Castlepoint and 179 kph at Rimutaka summit.

Labour Day. Rain brought slips that closed the Manawatu Gorge road and the road to Eastbourne.

Wednesday 8 Nov: Polar Outbreak #10. Snow was widespread over Southland and Central Otago. 10cm of snow settled at Jolly Pass (350m altitude).

Thursday 9 Nov: A deepening low crossed the North Island bringing a four-hour westerly gale to Auckland. The Sky Tower had gusts to 140kph and was evacuated, and there were around 400 callouts due to power disruptions.

Tuesday 14 November. Northwesterly winds gusted to 161 kph at Mt. Kaukau and 140 kph at the summit of the Rimutaka road, where a truck was blown over. A truck driver was fatally injured by falling branches near Hanmer. The Waimakariri River reached 2,500 cumecs (a ten-year high) and the Rakaia reached 5,000 cumecs (a 25-year high).

Sunday 26 November. A truck was blown over in Hawke's Bay

Wednesday 29 Nov. A truck was blown over at Craigieburn. Lake Wakatipu almost reached 311 metres above sea level, exceeding its warning level but with only minor flooding. The Hutt River flooded.

Friday 15 December: A landslide into Pohangina River near Ashurst killed three children. It wasn't raining at the time.

Wednesday 20 December: Snow dusted the Central Otago hills and Southern Alps.

TVNZ:   SUMMER OVERLOOKS THE SOUTH ISLAND

Dec 30, 2006

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/947606 WITH VIDEO

Bad weather is continuing to plague the South Island with flooding in Ashburton and campers calling it quits in some favorite holiday spots.  Civil Defence is warning people in low lying areas to move to higher ground and rivers rose so fast inland from Temuka that a Unimog was brought in to rescue trapped campers at Te Moana gorge.

Campers said police came down and ordered them out, leaving their gear behind.

In Ashburton torrential rain inundated homes and garages overnight Friday. Gardens were waterlogged and front yards turned into lakes, leaving at least three homes needing serious drying out.

Summer of sleet and snow

Sunday December 31, 2006

By Mary Longmore and NZPA 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10417306

Tourists driving through sleet and snow as they head east over Porters Pass in the South Island yesterday. Photo / Simon Baker

An army-style Unimog had to be called in yesterday to evacuate campers in South Canterbury when a rising river cut off the exit to their campground.  Temuka police said the privately-owned Unimog evacuated the campers from a camp-ground in Te Moana gorge, near Geraldine, after heavy overnight rain meant a normal four-wheel-drive could not make the river crossing. Civil Defence warned other campers in Canterbury to move to higher ground with heavy rain set to raise river levels.

TVNZ   COLD WET DECEMBER FOR MOST

   Jan 1, 2007

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411749/949095  Plus Video clip.

It's summer - so here comes the rain again

New Zealand Herald 11:40AM Tuesday January 09, 2007 By David Eames 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10418266

Don't let a few days of sunshine fool you: the fickle weather - a feature of the summer so far - is set to return, with heavy rain, cooler temperatures and failing crops expected in coming months. Holidaymakers accustomed to tuning into cricket broadcasts may instead have to seek out weather bulletins over the next few days, with MetService warnings of heavy rain that could turn dangerous in the northern North Island.

This satellite image, taken at noon yesterday, shows the mass of cloud which will bring moist sub-tropical air over the North Picture from MetService

"We are putting everyone between Northland and Bay of Plenty on watch for heavy rain," weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said yesterday. "Parts of this area haven't seen much wetness recently and the incoming moisture is from the subtropics so it may become torrential at times. People in the affected area should brace for this incoming rain and keep up to date with the latest weather bulletins."

The dire weather predictions come on the back of the coldest December in a generation.

Mushroom cloud over summer

5:00AM Thursday January 11, 2007 By Angela Gregory 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10418593

Mushrooms are sprouting on the cricket ground at Onepoto Domain on Auckland's North Shore. Photo / Greg Bowker

Wild mushrooms are popping up in January because they think it's autumn - the consequence of an unpredictable summer that has also been blamed for playing havoc with crops. Some summer vegetables and fruit have been harvested late while more could be affected by the lack of sunshine.

Welcome to Auckland ... sunshine city?

Sunday January 14, 2007 By Bridget Carter HERALD ON SUNDAY

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10419053

The Auckland skyline yesterday, as the dismal summer continued. Photo / Michael Craig

Those feeling grumpy about the wet weekend should close their eyes - and pretend they are in the Chatham Islands. Apparently, that is where all the sun has gone. MetService forecaster Janet Syme says: "If we were where the Chatham Islands are now, we would be under the sun for five days."

The "double whammy" has been both good news and bad news for business. Camping grounds are suffering, because many campers are packing up from holiday spots and heading home. Taupo Bay Camping Ground owner Joe Rogers has watched those with the equipment "not up to it" pack up and leave. "The rain does push a lot of people home," he says.

Slip has Rob fearful

By JOEL FORD   16 Jan 2007 Bay of Plenty Times

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3717735&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=

A large chunk of land in front of Rob Moon's house has washed away in heavy rain - leaving a gaping hole and his drive dangerously unstable.

PICTURE: JIMMY JOE: Lichfield Grove resident Rob Moon has not been able to use his driveway since Sunday.