METSOC newsemail-- News clippings for MAY 2008

Costly year for natural disasters

By PAUL EASTON - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 03 May 2008

Gisborne Herald

SHAKEN, AND STIRRED: The Gisborne earthquake was just one of several disasters to hit New Zealand last year.

Tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, a lahar and even tsunamis battered us in 2007, leading to one of the most expensive years for natural disasters. New figures from the Insurance Council show weather related losses totalled $96 million in 2007. On top of that, claims from the Gisborne earthquake on December 20 cost $50 million and are still climbing.

Disaster-related insurance payouts for 2007 are set to exceed 2004, the year of the Manawatu floods. That would make 2007 the most expensive year for natural hazard insurance payouts since 1968, the year of the Wahine storm.

The Earthquake Commission took 6519 claims for natural disaster damage in 2007 - three times as many as 2006.

But one of the most spectacular events of last year, the March 18 Mt Ruapehu lahar, caused little damage and no loss of life after extensive preparations. 1.3 million cubic metres of warm acidic water, carrying five times its weight in rock debris, tore down the side of Mt Ruapehu. The repair bill was $111,000.

In a less predictable disaster, a swarm of tornadoes swept across Taranaki in July, causing more than $8 million damage.

Severe floods in Northland and the Coromandel caused an estimated $60 million damage in mid-July. But Niwa Natural Hazards Centre co-leader Doug Ramsay said the Gisborne earthquake would probably be the most costly natural disaster for 2007 when all claims were in.

THE BILL FOR 2007

Far North storms, March 28-29: Heavy rain and strong winds caused extensive damage. 2569 insurance claims lodged. Cost to insurers: $12.5 million.

Taranaki tornadoes, July 4-5: An extraordinary swarm of tornadoes wreaked havoc across Taranaki. 1336 claims lodged. Cost to insurers: $8.3 million.

Far North, Auckland and Coromandel storms and floods, July 10-12: Torrential rain swelled rivers and caused major damage. 18,935 claims lodged. Cost to insurers: $60.5 million.

Gisborne earthquake December 20: Magnitude 6.8. The most damaging earthquake since the March 1987 Edgecumbe quake (magnitude 6.6). 2112 insurance claims. Cost $50 million and climbing.  (Abridged) 

Downpours cause flooding, but tipped to ease

Monday May 05, 2008 NZ herald By Moana Tapaleao

A walker shelters behind an umbrella at Mission Bay.

 Photo / Martin Sykes

Torrential rain last night caused wide-spread flooding to parts of Auckland before the downpours moved south-east to the Bay of Plenty.

Fire shift manager Jaron Phillips said there were over 80 call-outs in Auckland last night with basements and garages getting flooded. He said fire fighters pumped out flooded basements and garages and secured tarpaulins over roofs that had lost tiles. (Abridged)

Weather turns chilly

Fairfax Media | Monday, 05 May 2008

KENT BLECHYNDEN/Dominion Post

CHILLY DIP: Surf's up - but too much for this hapless boarder at Wellington's Houghton Bay as temperatures across the country took a turn for the worse.

Big swells, wind and freezing temperatures awaited anyone brave enough to try some aquatic adventuring at the weekend.  Snow fell on the Rimutakas on Friday night. Waves around the region reached a maximum height - including swell - of 10 metres on Saturday.  

Last night it was snowing on State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupo. MetService said heavy snow was possible overnight for parts of inland Hawke's Bay, Taupo, Tongariro National Park and Taihape.

In the far south, temperatures went as low as -5C, MetService forecaster Melanie Graham said. "They have had a lot of sunshine, it's been picture postcard down there."  Matthew Tipple, 26, of St Martins, who spent the day shooting near Lincoln, said the conditions were "perfect".  "It's better because the ducks are tired and don't circle around and come straight down onto the pond. Normally they will just spend ages flying around above you," he said. "They were absolutely perfect conditions, the weather was rainy and haily and ideal for duck shooting."

Senior North Canterbury fish and game officer Davor Bejakovich said the strong southerly was generally good for Lake Ellesmere hunters because the ducks tended to move around instead of staying in the middle of the lake.  - The Dominion Post and The Press

Hail showers and snow arrive

The Press | Friday, 02 May 2008

BRUCE MCGECHAN

White stuff: Snow has arrived in the Southern Lakes region, with white stuff down to 500m today and more expected overnight. Ski resort Cardrona (pictured) had 20cm of snow as at 2pm today.

Forecasters are predicting a southwesterly will bring snow to 500m for Canterbury High Country areas this afternoon.

Five to 10 centimetres of snow is expected down to 600m in North Canterbury and near Banks Peninsula. A front passed through Rolleston at about 2pm today brought hail and sleet, but no snow. Abridged.

Here comes the snow

Tuesday May 06, 2008 Herald

Photo / Alan Gibson

South Islanders have woken to the coldest day of the year so far, while the North Island's first big dumping of snow is set to melt away. The Radio Network's weather analyst Philip Duncan said there was a -8C degree frost in Invercargill this morning with Lumsden waking to -6, Dunedin -5 and Queenstown -4.

"This is due to cold air sucked up by the North Island's rain storm. Light winds and clear skies mean big frosts right through the South Island this morning".

Overnight rain will have washed away most of the North Island snow. But yesterday, most motorists were taking it easy on the Taupo-Napier road after 10 to 15cm of snow fell on Sunday night, blanketing Mt Ruapehu and dusting the upper parts of the Desert Rd.

MetService forecaster Oliver Druce said the North Island was likely to warm up today and tomorrow after single digit highs south of Hamilton yesterday. But the respite is likely to be short-lived with showers forecast for much of the island on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

A chilly start to the new school term

By HARRIET PALMER - Taranaki Daily News | Tuesday, 06 May 2008

MARK DWYER/Taranaki Daily News

"Cold" was the only description Destiny O'Keeffe (5) had for her first day at Moturoa School, which lost its electricity on the region's coldest day of 2008.

With feet shivering and teeth chattering Taranaki children started the first day of a new school term on the coldest day of the year - so far.

MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said yesterday was the first time the region's temperature had fallen into the single digits this year, and he expected it would get even colder as the week wore on. The MetService reported a maximum of only 9C in New Plymouth yesterday.

For Moturoa School in New Plymouth there was no escaping the icy fingered outdoors, with no power to heat or light the school, the 102 students had a particularly chilly welcome back to the classroom. The weekend's weather had caused the school's roof to flood, a section to collapse and a deluge of water to hit the fuse box, which blew up and cut off power to the entire school.

"It's a cool way to start the new term, in more than one way," Ms Rayner said. When asked how her first day at Moturoa went, Destiny O'keeffe (5) had one word to say: "Cold."  Abridged

Fog causes chaos for thousands of air passengers

Friday May 16, 2008

Domestic check-ins at Auckland Airport have been cancelled due to fog. Photos / Kenny Rodger, Ina Crossley

Airlines flying in and out of Auckland Airport have spent most of the afternoon catching up on flight backlogs after heavy fog disrupted scores of flights and delayed thousands of passengers.

The fog which blanketed much of the city from before sunrise also covered the airport and although some international flights took off and landed, scores of domestic flights were cancelled.

By early afternoon when the fog began to lift, airlines had cancelled 60 domestic arrivals into Auckland and 53 flights out of Auckland to other parts of the country. - NZPA/Herald.  Abridged

Waikato Times

Thick fog to blame for crash

By BELINDA FEEK - Waikato Times | Monday, 19 May 2008

KELLY HODEL/Waikato Times

UNWANTED VISITOR: Horses grazing on this SH1b property at Gordonton got a fright after this truck and trailer unit went straight through the stop sign at the intersection of Piako Rd and SH1b.

Pea-soup thick Waikato fog caught out a Christchurch truck driver who careered straight through a stop sign, landing in a paddock near Hamilton early yesterday.  The truck and trailer unit went through the T-intersection of SH1b and Piako Rd at Gordonton at 6am on the foggiest morning recorded in the Waikato this year.

Fog caused the cancellation of flights in and out of Hamilton Airport yesterday morning. The MetService expected the fog to continue until Monday.

Waikato road policing manager Leo Tooman reminded motorists to turn their headlights on.  "The number of people out there without their headlights on is disappointing. You can see where you're going, but we want people to be able to see you."  Abridged

Sunshine and showers - putting it mildly

Monday May 19, 2008 By Alanah May Eriksen NZ Herald

Colourful Autumn leaves in the Auckland Domain yesterday.

 Photo / Martin Sykes

Visitors to the Auckland Domain enjoyed a mild Sunday afternoon, but make sure you pack both your brolly and your sun hat this week.

New Zealanders can expect patchy weather as showers and sun visit most parts of the country.

MetService forecaster Ian Gall said showers would spread over most of Northland today and possibly Auckland tomorrow. Abridged.

Strawberry fields forever?

By KAY BLUNDELL - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 22 May 2008

KAY BLUNDELL/The Dominion Post

CREAM OF THE CROP: The longer-than-usual season for fruit keeps Laine Nanai busy at Windsor Park in Te Horo.

Summer's bounty is extending well into autumn as the lower North Island basks in unusually dry and mild weather.

While most strawberry crops around the country have finished, late-season strawberries are still being picked at Windsor Park in Te Horo, 70 kilometres north of Wellington. The region has soaked up maximum temperatures of 17 and 18 degrees celsius in the past week - about two degrees higher than normal.

The warm, settled weather had definitely had an impact on the extended berry crops, Windsor Park owner Peter Robson said.

"Drier weather, no frosts and nice pliable soil have produced a longer season. Raspberries have just finished, strawberries are still going, it looks like the season could be extended into June."

The Kapiti Coast has received only 11.1 millimetres of rain so far this month. The lowest May rainfall on record is 30.9mm.

MetService spokesman Gerard Bellam said Wellington had also enjoyed an Indian summer in the past week, with temperatures reaching the high teens, a couple of degrees above normal.  There had been a couple of mild frosts in Upper Hutt and Wairarapa but most of the region had just experienced "good rich dew". In comparison, Hawke's Bay had showery weather and while Wairarapa had some warmer than average temperatures, it also had cloudy and showery conditions, welcome after the summer drought, he said. Abridged.

Storms won't sneak in under radar

By ROB MAETZIG - Taranaki Daily News | Saturday, 24 May 2008

CAMERON BURNELL

Taranaki weather-watching has become a lot more accurate thanks to this new weather radar system installed at New Plymouth airport.

Taranaki at last has a weather radar system that could give early warning of events such as last year's tornado swarms.

The new equipment has been installed at New Plymouth airport and closes a gap in radar coverage of the North Island's west coast.

"This radar can also see the back edge of any weather systems - in other words, not only can it identify when the rain is going to start, but when it is going to stop. That'll be really important for the emergency management people," MetService project director Tony Quayle said.

Until now, only Auckland and Wellington have had weather radar in the North Island, and Taranaki literally sat 7km below its coverage.  This meant that although Auckland and Wellington could warn of the approach of really big storms, other bad weather could literally sneak in under the radar, Mr Quayle said.

The new equipment sits in a dome on a 7m tower, monitoring up to 200km out to sea. The new system will spot severe weather such as thunderstorm cells, heavy rainfall, and even the conditions ideal for tornadoes, Mr Quayle said.

Taranaki Regional Council spokesman Gary Bedford described installation of the new weather radar as "music to our ears".

"It will give emergency management people here a genuine ability to anticipate what's going to happen, and to prepare for it," he said. Installation of the new weather radar at New Plymouth is part of a $10 million upgrade of New Zealand's weather-watch network.

Up until now only Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Invercargill have had the weather radar.

Once the New Plymouth installation has been commissioned, others will be installed on the Mahia Peninsula, and in the Bay of Plenty. What the radar is seeing will be able to be viewed on the www.metservice.co.nz website.

New Climate Change Guidance Manual Released

Tuesday, 27 May 2008 Scoop

Release of guidance manual paves way for better planning around climate change. A guidance manual released today by the Ministry for the Environment provides the latest projections of the expected impacts of climate change on New Zealand, and advice for councils nationwide on tackling their effects.

The manual entitled Climate Change Effects and Impacts Assessment:  A guidance manual for local government in New Zealand was released today.  The guidance manual, which replaces and updates the 2004 version, is designed to help local government and other decision makers identify and quantify opportunities and risks that climate change presents.

Sue Powell, general manager of the Ministry for the Environment’s Local Government Group, says the manual provides useful information to plan for the future.  “I am proud to present our updated local government guidance manual. It provides us with the latest climate change information and methods for assessing risk.”

“It gives more detail and greater certainty than previously and provides councils and communities the opportunity to act now to minimise the impacts and maximise the opportunities associated with climate change.”

Climate Change Effects and Impacts Assessment: A guidance manual for local government in New Zealand is available on: www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/climate/climate-change-effect-impacts-assessments-may08/  Abidged.

Niwa: Hotter, wetter, drier, frost-free climate

Wednesday May 28, 2008 By Craig Borley NZ Herald

Herald graphic

Hot, dry Auckland summers, a wetter West Coast and plummeting frost-days await us if the latest climate change predictions come true.

The predictions were included in National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research's latest climate change report, released yesterday.

It uses new data and draws on far more climate models than the previous report in 2004. It bases the predictions on the mid-range of expected ongoing greenhouse gas emissions, and draws its predictions out to the end of this century.

It states an unusually warm year today could be classed as very cold by the end of the century.

The expected 2C rise across the country is likely to coincide with a predominantly westerly wind, bringing more rain to the west and leaving less for the east.

Frost days have already fallen across the country, with 20 fewer frosts per year today in the Canterbury and Marlborough regions than there were in the 1970s. They could fall further, with the Central Plateau's 30-40 frost days expected to reduce to 5-15 days.

Auckland's hot days of 25C or more could triple from about 21 now to more than 60 - and that's only under a low-medium emission scenario. Under a medium-high scenario there could be a staggering 80 or more days hotter than 25C. That's enough hot days for almost all three months of summer.

Rain is not so evenly distributed. Queenstown will have 12 per cent more rainfall each year, although most of that will fall over winter and spring. Tekapo and Hokitika are both expected to get an extra 8 per cent rainfall, and Invercargill is likely to get 7 per cent wetter.

A huge western chunk of the North Island, from Porirua to Port Waikato and stretching inland to Taupo, is also picked to get more rain. The rest of the North Island will get drier, especially Northland. Droughts would become more frequent, said Niwa scientist David Wratt, and the work suggested the likelihood of the especially damaging case of a two-year drought might be higher.

"What is now a one-in-20-year drought might become a one-in-five-year one later in the century."

Niwa's Dr David Wratt said the evidence of climate change was mounting. The volume of ice in the Southern Alps had reduced almost 11 per cent in the past 30 years.

Prime to air another side of warming

Prime television is to air a controversial documentary arguing global warming is mostly caused by radiation from the sun.

The Great Global Warming Swindle attracted hundreds of complaints after it debuted on Britain's Channel 4 in March last year.

A few months later Australia's ABC network came under fire over its decision to show the documentary against the advice of its science journalist, Robyn Williams. Mr Williams was reported in the Australian newspaper saying it was "irresponsible" to air a programme that was "demonstrably wrong".

Critics argue the documentary is one-sided and misrepresents the weight of scientific evidence.

Lake levels at critical point

Wednesday May 28, 2008 By Grant Bradley NZ Herald

Fair autumn weather not only means hydro lakes are dwindling but wind farms have been hit by calm conditions during the past fortnight.

Hydro lakes storage was yesterday at 58 per cent of average, prompting a statement of "concern" from Energy Minister David Parker. Wind's contribution to generation has been less than half of its potential for the past two weeks.

Generators Meridian and TrustPower, which have wind farms in Manawatu, blame "the vagaries of mother nature" and typically calm autumn conditions for the reduced output.

Parker said that although the East Coast drought had broken, it remained very dry in key southern hydro catchments.  "Unless we have some increased in-flows in the South Island hydro catchments in the next three weeks, further conservation measures will have to be looked at," he said.

Transpower is overseeing Winterpower Watch, a website launched yesterday by the state-owned enterprise and five major power companies. There are 50 power saving tips on the website, including old faithfuls such as turning appliances off at the wall, and turning the hot water down to 55C.  It also suggests having a video night and inviting all your friends so there's only one house to heat and going to the big game instead of watching it on television. NZPA/Abridged

ON THE WEB: Power saving tips are at www.winterpower.co.nz

Black ice causes accidents at Fernhill

By BEN HEATHER - The Southland Times | Friday, 30 May 2008

Black ice and a helping hand were behind a three-car accident on Fernhill Rd yesterday morning.

Constable Steve Watt, of Queenstown, said a severe frost had wreaked havoc for early morning drivers. "It was extremely icy," he said.  "With black ice you can always come to grief."  He recommends driving slowly in low gear and relying primarily on the engine rather than the brake pedal to slow down.

MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said there had been several severe frosts in Queenstown this week, including early yesterday morning, with ground temperatures of -8degC.  Abridged

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<