Well we had a busy weekend weather wise - at least northern and western parts of the North Island did - with a total of 25,000 lightning strikes clocked up from midnight Friday to 6pm Sunday.
Aucklanders were rattled awake on Saturday morning then a few random booms and hail storms sent people running for cover during Sunday.
Today we'll see a short breather - not just for Aucklanders but all of New Zealand - ahead of the next big winter storm. The low, which will develop during Monday in the Tasman Sea, between Tasmania and Southland, is expected to rapidly deepen and by mid-week will be affecting the entire country.
This system has the potential to be damaging with gale force winds affecting much of the country on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday (depending on where you live).
Not only that but a polar blast will develop on Wednesday in the far south and reach Auckland on Thursday - so yes, that means an end to the spring like weather that saw me wearing shorts and a T-shirt on Saturday! And seeing as my body hasn't really seen the light of day since March that's probably not a bad thing!
Now if you're travelling anywhere in New Zealand this week then you might want to take note of possible travel problems. Severe gales may affect the Cook Strait ferry service anywhere from Tuesday to Thursday. Those gales may also affect flights into the capital between those same days. On Wednesday gales may affect much of New Zealand so you might want to keep up to date with your airline if flying anywhere across the country.
Snow will fall to low levels in the far south on Wednesday night possibly closing roads and almost certainly closing roads by Thursday. The Desert Road may well be closed to snow on Thursday or Friday.
There is some good news - another dumping of heavy rain is expected for the hydro lakes. I always suspected the winter rains would arrive there.
It's going to be a stormy week for most New Zealanders and many of us will probably have a couple of restless nights due to heavy showers, hail, thunderstorms or gales. Lucky us!
Storm Time Line:
Monday: A short lived breather before the first front approaches. Warm nor'west winds will develop.
Tuesday: Heavy rain sets in to the West Coast with rain spreading to most other places during the day. Nor'west winds picking up to gale force from Canterbury to Wairarapa.
Wednesday: Thunderstorms along the nation's west coast and sou'westers rising to gales force for much of the country. Cold southerlies developing in the far south with snow developing in the mountains and lowering significantly in places like Southland and Otago by dark.
Thursday: Snow to low levels in the South easing, and snow possibly falling on the Desert Road. Severe southerly or sou'easterly gales for the nation's east coast gradually easing during the day.
Friday: Snow still possible on the Desert road and significantly colder over all of New Zealand but conditions improving gradually
The Weather Watch Centre will be closely monitoring this storm with a number of extra updates each day throughout the week.
Showing posts with label new zealand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new zealand. Show all posts
Monday, July 28, 2008
Weather bomb hammers Auckland - storm of the decade
More than 50,000 homes have been left without power in Auckland on Saturday night, as the storm tipped to be one of the biggest to hit New Zealand in a decade causes havoc.
Auckland weather worsened throughout the day with the eye of the storm expected to pass directly over or very near the region.
The MetService has described the storm as 'potentially destructive and dangerous' which has hit Auckland with damaging wind gusts.
The storm whipped waves into a frenzy closing lanes onto the Harbour Bridge.
One boat lost its battle against mother nature, ending up battered against the rocks next to the bridge.
Motorists are still being urged to avoid travelling over it and the speed limit is down to 60 kilometres an hour, as motorists battle 100km winds.
Tamaki Drive along Auckland's waterfront is also closed as the giant waves create entertainment for the family.
Civil Defence advice is to batten down the hatches and only go outdoors if you really need to.
Power Outage
Power is now also being lost to homes in South Auckland as high winds knock down trees and power lines.
Over 53 000 homes in Rodney, Waitakere and North Shore areas have already lost power.
Vector says it is doing everything it can to restore supply but winds are stopping crew from repairing faults on overhead lines.
Power companies are urging people to be cautious and be aware of the potential hazards from fallen power lines.
Vector says it can't give an estimate of when power will be fully restored, and says customers should be prepared for prolonged outages.
Coromandel
The storm is also causing chaos for the Coromandel, with the Kauaeranga River south of Thames bursting its banks, forcing the closure of State Highway 25.
Civil Defence is asking people throughout the Coromandel and the Hauraki Plains to stay home unless absolutely necessarily.
Further South
In the Central North Island the Desert Road is closed by snow, and State Highway 12 in the Far North is affected by flooding.
Strong winds have blown over a campervan on State Highway One, south of Wellsford and two people have been taken to hospital with moderate injuries, including leg fractures.
Cars are also being trapped in floodwaters near Rakauwahia Road.
Police are asking motorists stranded at Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu to remain in their vehicles and wait for ski field staff to help them off the mountain.
About 100 vehicles are still on the mountain, and staff are working from car park to car park along the Bruce Road to free them.
Auckland weather worsened throughout the day with the eye of the storm expected to pass directly over or very near the region.
The MetService has described the storm as 'potentially destructive and dangerous' which has hit Auckland with damaging wind gusts.
The storm whipped waves into a frenzy closing lanes onto the Harbour Bridge.
One boat lost its battle against mother nature, ending up battered against the rocks next to the bridge.
Motorists are still being urged to avoid travelling over it and the speed limit is down to 60 kilometres an hour, as motorists battle 100km winds.
Tamaki Drive along Auckland's waterfront is also closed as the giant waves create entertainment for the family.
Civil Defence advice is to batten down the hatches and only go outdoors if you really need to.
Power Outage
Power is now also being lost to homes in South Auckland as high winds knock down trees and power lines.
Over 53 000 homes in Rodney, Waitakere and North Shore areas have already lost power.
Vector says it is doing everything it can to restore supply but winds are stopping crew from repairing faults on overhead lines.
Power companies are urging people to be cautious and be aware of the potential hazards from fallen power lines.
Vector says it can't give an estimate of when power will be fully restored, and says customers should be prepared for prolonged outages.
Coromandel
The storm is also causing chaos for the Coromandel, with the Kauaeranga River south of Thames bursting its banks, forcing the closure of State Highway 25.
Civil Defence is asking people throughout the Coromandel and the Hauraki Plains to stay home unless absolutely necessarily.
Further South
In the Central North Island the Desert Road is closed by snow, and State Highway 12 in the Far North is affected by flooding.
Strong winds have blown over a campervan on State Highway One, south of Wellsford and two people have been taken to hospital with moderate injuries, including leg fractures.
Cars are also being trapped in floodwaters near Rakauwahia Road.
Police are asking motorists stranded at Whakapapa on Mt Ruapehu to remain in their vehicles and wait for ski field staff to help them off the mountain.
About 100 vehicles are still on the mountain, and staff are working from car park to car park along the Bruce Road to free them.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Earthqake rocks New Zealand
A powerful 6.8 earthquake struck off New Zealand on Thursday, knocking down buildings, ripping holes in streets and causing widespread power outages in one eastern city.
Strong tremors were felt across the country when the quake hit at 8:55 pm about 50 kilometres from the coastal city of Gisborne, which was littered with broken glass.
Ten people were treated for minor injuries and up to 10 fires were brought under control, while police cordoned off the city centre. No tsunami warning was issued.
A state of emergency has been declared for the centre of the eastern New Zealand city of Gisborne after a powerful 6.8 earthquake flattened buildings and left gaping holes in roads.
The centre of the city of 42,000 people has been cordoned off by police, who said two buildings had collapsed and others were badly damaged.
There have been numerous earthquakes in the region recently, including a strong 7.6 magnitude quake near the Auckland Islands south of New Zealand on September 30.
New Zealand lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where colliding plates in the earth's crust cause frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Strong tremors were felt across the country when the quake hit at 8:55 pm about 50 kilometres from the coastal city of Gisborne, which was littered with broken glass.
Ten people were treated for minor injuries and up to 10 fires were brought under control, while police cordoned off the city centre. No tsunami warning was issued.
A state of emergency has been declared for the centre of the eastern New Zealand city of Gisborne after a powerful 6.8 earthquake flattened buildings and left gaping holes in roads.
The centre of the city of 42,000 people has been cordoned off by police, who said two buildings had collapsed and others were badly damaged.
There have been numerous earthquakes in the region recently, including a strong 7.6 magnitude quake near the Auckland Islands south of New Zealand on September 30.
New Zealand lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where colliding plates in the earth's crust cause frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.
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