Thunderstorms, tornado hammer South Island

11:43AM Wednesday April 02, 2008 NZ Herald

Severe thunderstorms lashed the South Island last night bringing lightening, hail and heavy rain to the West Coast and parts of Canterbury.

MetService forecaster Bob Lake said there have been media reports of a tornado in Westport and although he could not verify the reports, Mr. Lake said the conditions would have been conducive to tornadoes.

He said by the time the bad weather got to the North Island it had died down and it is now sitting just north of Auckland.

A tornado caused severe damage to the roof of a large workshop attached to Solid Energy's Stockton Mine yesterday afternoon. Mine manager Ian Harvey said the tornado touched down just after 5pm, near Westport, and ripped about a third of the roof off a historic workshop that was built in 1905. Mr. Harvey said two men were in the building at the time and took cover in a stairwell.

"It seemed to just touch down, there was no obvious path," Mr. Harvey said. He said a house in front of the workshop also had its roof ripped off and thrown about 100 metres away. Mr. Harvey said about $200,000 of damage was done to the building but luckily there were no injuries. "They dodged a bullet," Mr. Harvey said.

- NZ HERALD STAFF

Ski fields increasingly use snow machines as temperature rises  Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:19p.m.

As the signs of winter approaching increase, ski fields are hoping for a bumper season but ski field managers are worries the affects of global warming will make the season shorter and less predictable.

This has led to investment in technology like never before to ensure they have enough snow during winter.

Coronet Peak has bought 148 snow guns to provide snow that Mother Nature does not.

The snow guns cost $12 million and help fill in the gaps in snow fall patterns that have led to some dire ski seasons in the last few years. NIWA research show the average temperature in the Queenstown area is likely to increase by an average of 2Û« in the next 100 years.

North Island ski fields are also looking to technology to guarantee a good season. Whakapapa and Turoa ski fields use 90 snow making machines between them and plan to nearly double that number.

Heavy weather bringing spectacular end to summer

5:00AM Monday April 14, 2008 By Craig Borley NZ Herald

Photo / Richard Robinson

Heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms are due to bring a spectacular end to summer in Auckland today.

A tropical trough that hit Northland last night is expected to hang over the North Island for much of this week. The weather hampered attempts to rescue nine people from a charter vessel that ran aground on rocks off North Cape. A rescue helicopter that tried to reach the boat was thwarted by heavy rain and 30- to 40-knot winds.

The boat was this morning being towed to the safety of Houhora Harbour.

The tropical trough is expected to hit Auckland today, bringing a week of wet weather. Drought-stricken Waikato and Taranaki farmers will get some relief - their arid paddocks should get a good soaking for the first half of this week, and showers are forecast to continue for the rest of the week. The rain is also good news for power companies, which have been anxiously watching falling hydro lake levels. Adridged

Relief for stricken farmers as rain arrives

7:53PM Monday April 14, 2008  Rotorua Daily post

Farmers in the Waikato, hit hard by the summer drought, have received steady, soaking rain with more to come.

Steady rainfall which began in Northland yesterday moved down the North Island today, bringing relief to many drought-struck farming regions.

MetService meteorologists said a tropical trough, originating near Lord Howe Island northwest of New Zealand, is bringing humid northerlies and widespread rain. "This bears the hallmarks of being able to produce a significant rainfall event," MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt said in a statement.

Farmers in the Waikato - who have been particularly hard-hit by a drought they were not expecting - reported steady, soaking rain, which is what they need. About 40mm-50mm is expected to fall there by Wednesday, helping to replenish the region's soil moisture deficit of around 120mm.  Waikato Federated farmers president Stew Wadey said any significant pasture growth will not be seen until early May.

But a Taupo District Council spokeswoman Sarah Painter said that not enough rain had yet fallen to have had any significant impact on lake levels. The regions needed a lot of rain before the lake levels could even begin to return to normal.

- NZPA Abridged

Lightning strike kills horseman

By ROBYN DOWNEY - Dargaville News | Tuesday, 15 April 2008

ROBYN DOWNEY/Suburban Newspapers

AFTERMATH: Northland Hunt spokesperson Donna Austin after the electrical storm that struck seven riders killing one man.

A man is dead and six other people in hospital after they were struck by lightening on a farm west of Dargaville.

The 51 year old Auckland man was riding with the Northland Hunt group, participating in a week long hunt at Hilliam Rd, Mahuta, near Dargaville's west coast.

Northland Hunt spokesperson Donna Austin says the group were riding in heavy rain at around 12.30pm today when an electrical storm started.  "It was the most bizarre weather patterns, forked lightening, the lot and that is when the gentleman was struck and killed and so was his horse," she says.

Ms Austin says six other people were also struck but were not injured. The injured riders were attended to within minutes by two GPs, three registered nurses and an advanced paramedic.  Abridged

Lightning warning for Bay of Plenty

5am Wednesday April 16, 2008 By Craig Borley and by CARLY UDY

A tree made a mess of this house in Henderson. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Landslides, burst rivers, flash floods and treacherous roads are predicted in the Bay of Plenty today as the storm that lashed Northland and Auckland yesterday heads down the country.

The thunderstorms, which caused school closures, fallen trees, flooding and a fatal lighting strike, are also expected to hit the East Cape and northern parts of Hawkes Bay.

Hundreds of lightning strikes were recorded across the north of the North Island yesterday.

People should stay indoors today when the thunderstorms hit, MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt told the Herald yesterday. If the storms hit around 3pm, parents should wait an hour before picking their children up from school. "The best thing to do is to stay indoors for a few hours. And let it go by, because they do only last an hour or so." When the thunderstorms hit, the result could be widespread havoc. With lightning, they will bring sudden heavy torrents of rain to an already soaked region.

Landslides were "on the agenda" and rivers could break their banks, he said. Downpours will reach 40mm an hour - enough to produce surface flooding and the risk of landslides.

“And the thunderstorms, well, you get one of those and it can undermine a whole house, just like that. It can turn a trickle into a torrent. And there's not much you can do about that in advance."

If outdoors when lightning strikes, Mr McDavitt urged people to try to seek shelter "If you feel a tingly sensation and your hair starts to stand on end, begin curling into a ball." Abridged.

Seven dead in drowning tragedy

Apr 16, 2008 TNNZ

The grim facts of a mass drowning tragedy south of Turangi in the central North Island have been confirmed overnight.

Seven people died after a school group got into difficulty in a flooded stream in the Mangatepopo gorge in the Tongariro National Park.  The Elim Christian College students from Howick in Auckland had been taking part in adventure training at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre in Turangi. The school makes trips to the centre each year for outdoor education activities and leadership training.

Rising river levels after heavy rain caught the students by surprise, and they were swept downstream.

Five bodies were brought out on Tuesday night, and rescue crews from Turangi recovered the final two bodies on Wednesday morning in a more inaccessible area of the rugged gorge. Five other people in the group were found relatively safe, with one being taken to Taupo hospital. One teacher is among the dead.

Outdoor Pursuits Centre Chief Executive Grant Davidson has confirmed the massive wave that caught the school group came shockingly fast.

"At three o'clock there was 0.5 cumecs (in the river), at 3:30pm there was 18 - which is the equivalent of the Tongariro going down the river - at four o'clock it was back to 0.5. So there was a wave of water that came through within that half hour period," says Davidson.

The river suddenly surged and the group was overtaken, in a gorge-like terrain with very steep sides and few escape points.

"It looks as if there has been sudden flash flooding which was difficult to foresee," Police Inspector Steve Mastrovich said.

"The instructor was with them and they were just caught at the wrong place at the wrong time."  He says the party had wet suits and floatation vests, and went in with the aim of navigating their way down the stream and walking out.

MetService Severe Weather forecaster Paul Mallinson says a severe thunderstorm watch was issued at 8.30 on Tuesday morning, which included Taumarunui and Taupo.

It mentioned heavy rain of up to 40 millimetres an hour or more. He says such watches mention the possibility of flash flooding and slips. Adridged

9 CRASHES IN 48 HOURS

16.04.2008  by Greg Taipari Rotorua Daily Post

Nine crashes in 48 hours - it's been the driest summer in 30 years and already we've forgotten how to drive safely.

Emergency services have been darting from one fender bender to the next as persisting rain has caused the normally dry roads to become "treacherous". Motorists are failing to heed simple road safety messages, prompting a warning from police to be more careful.

Sudden chill due to blow through - forecasters

Monday April 21, 2008 By Juliet Rowan NZ Herald

Mt Ruapehu got its first blanket of snow, but weather forecaster Bob McDavitt says it's unlikely to stay.

The cold snap and accompanying snow, which fell on mountains including Mt Ruapehu, had been "a foretaste of winter" typical of this time of year. "You usually get your first cold outbreak around Anzac Day," he said. "It's just the first [cold front] that's managed to get out of the Southern Ocean on to New Zealand this year." Waiouru recorded the low of -2C and Mt Ruapehu got a healthy dusting of snow, but Mr McDavitt said it was unlikely to stick around. "There's still time for the golden weather." Abridged

Snow hits the mountain

By Susan Sandys April 22 2008 Ashburton Guardian

A welcome fall of snow on Mount Hutt

Fresh snow on the mountains and frosty mornings are telling Mid Cantabrians winter is on the way.  There are just seven weeks to go before Mt Hutt Ski Area will open, and two to three weeks before staff will begin making snow.  At the weekend the ski area received a snowfall, enabling staff to get out their skis. (abridged)

Cruise ship unable to dock in Dunedin

Apr 22, 2008 TVNZ

Bad weather has prevented Dunedin's last cruise ship of the season from docking.  The Sapphire Princess was supposed to berth around 6am on Tuesday morning, but it's now on its way to Auckland because of bad weather.

MetService has issued a severe weather watch for Otago on Tuesday afternoon, with strong gusts reaching up to 110 kilometres per hour in exposed areas.

Frosty Dawn Service For Anzac Day

Wednesday, 23 April 2008, Press Release: MetService/ Scoop.co.nz

MetService meteorologists are forecasting a fine day over New Zealand and a frosty dawn in many South Island places for ANZAC day.

"A cool southwesterly flow over the country is about to be replaced by an anticyclone with light winds and clear skies", commented MetService Weather Ambassador, Bob McDavitt.

"On Friday morning, dawn air temperatures are expected to be below 4 degrees for much of the South Island, and this is cold enough for a ground frost to occur. The coldest towns are expected to be Queenstown and Wanaka where the air temperature may reach zero degrees. Many places in the North Island about and south of Taupo will also reach single digits." (abridged)

Weather sketch a winner

PAUL EASTON - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 26 April 2008

PHOTO ROBERT KITCHIN/The Dominion Post

Kate Lund with the drawing she did two years ago.

Kate Lund is on cloud nine after her drawing was chosen for a book of child weather art from around the world.

The Dannevirke seven-year-old did the pencil drawing while she was at the MetService-sponsored John Constable exhibition at Te Papa in Wellington in July 2006.

It shows a cloud and red rainbow looming over a house, under a blue sky. Her work was one of three sent to the World Meteorological Organisation in Geneva and was chosen by an international panel to be included in a collection of child art.

It was seen there by New Zealand's WMO representative, Rod Stainer, and Metservice chief Paul Reid.  They decided to track Kate down to reward her for her efforts. "It really is quite an achievement," Mr Stainer said. At MetService head office in Wellington this week, Kate was presented with a copy of the book and a bag of goodies, including an electronic weather station, a hand-held fan and a book on weather. Kate said she was excited by all the attention. Her father, Graham, was equally thrilled to get the weather station, in the hope it might predict rain for his farm. "That's what us farmers worry about," he said.

More examples of child art can be seen at www.wmo.ch

Greening fields a 'cosmetic' change

Monday April 28, 2008 By James Ihaka NZ Herald

Grant Vercoe (with son Ryan) and other farmers have welcomed the rain but will be hoping for more. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Waikato fields are finally turning green again, after suffering the driest conditions in more than 100 years.

MetService severe weather forecaster, Oliver Druce, said heavy rain and thunderstorms were possible tomorrow in both Auckland and the Waikato. "It's likely to be similar to the rain bomb we had a couple of weeks ago... the whole top half of the North Island is in the firing line," he said.

But Waikato Federated Farmers president Stew Wadey, said the green facade was "cosmetic" and the conditions had probably come too late for some. "The indications are clear that the drought is still here and it's pretty serious," he said. Substantial grass growth was unlikely over the next month and farmers would be "heavily reliant" on supplementary feed, which in some instances had more than tripled in price since last year. (abridged)

Flood damage reported in Taranaki

Wednesday, 30 April 2008 Stuff.co.nz

Widespread flood damage has been reported around coastal Taranaki, despite major storms yesterday largely failing to materialise.

A number of houses were severely damaged near Okato after the Stony River burst its banks from flash flooding shortly after midnight this morning. Some residents reported hearing boulders crashing near their homes.(abridged)

A motorist manoeuvres his way through a flooded Whananaki North Rd. Picture/John Stone

Torrential rain sweeps North Island

Wed April 30, 2008 By Tony Gee HAWKE'S BAY TODAY

and Craig Borley NZ Herald

A windsurfer has the waters of Tauranga Harbour all to himself during heavy rain yesterday. Photo / Alan Gibson

The North Island bore the brunt of a collision of weather fronts yesterday as widespread heavy rain fell from Northland to Wellington.

Flooding was reported around the country, but eastern Bay of Plenty was worst hit. Farmers in the region were advised yesterday afternoon by Environment Bay of Plenty to move stock from low-lying areas areas near four rivers - the Waioeka, Otara, Whakatane and Waimana rivers.

Flooding and slips were reported in Northland. Ngunguru Rd near Whangarei was under water yesterday morning. An area near Fenton Rd in Rotorua was also affected. Hills and coastal areas northeast of Whangarei and parts of central Northland took most of the heavy bursts of rain to hit the region early yesterday.

A big slip blocked Whananaki South Rd, northeast of Whangarei, closing it to traffic before road crews worked to reopen a single lane late yesterday.

- NZPA(abridged)

Tornado toys with kids' playhouse

Thursday May 01, 2008 By Roger Moroney, Hawke’s Bay Today

This family sleepout had its roof ripped off by a passing tornado.

Its corrugated iron roof was torn off as if it were paper and flicked 50m into a nearby field at the height of yesterday morning's tornado which tore through forests and across farms near Tarawera.

At the height of the howling wind which erupted "out of nowhere" around 3.30am, Colin Baker and wife Mandy could only sit, stunned, and watch the twister rip through nearby pine trees.

"The whole house was shaking and there was this droning sound. I was thinking, 'Far out ... what's going to happen now? '"

What happened was an eerie silence and a bewilderingly clear sky.

"There was a half moon and we could see it clearly. It was really strange. No clouds, nothing." It was only when it was light enough to see that the Bakers realised how close they had come to getting hammered by the full force of the tornado. It missed their house by only 20m. It had cut an ugly swathe through nearby trees and buffeted the play-hut. Abridged