Wintry week

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Mon 05/04/2004 23:20

No John, never! It's just unfortunate that the storm closest to Chch only started going off or unloading when it went offshore. Here's some pics from the day with that night shot being one of the many that I tried to get a pic of lightning, that's a squid boat out there or some other type of ship. And I thought I might add a train for you John.

Rainning really good hear (11:18pm), has been for the last 1/2 to 1/4 hour.

Dean. · Unread post by **Dean.** » Tue 06/04/2004 06:38

Heavy rain all night,
But whats with the temperature 3.4 degrees,

Dean. · Unread post by **Dean.** » Tue 06/04/2004 07:33

24mm of rain overnight,currently sleet falling,but clearing slowly from the south.
Plenty of snow on the hills.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Tue 06/04/2004 07:47

Yes I like the train there too,its a DSG shunter

We have the "Mt Albert look"(usually got in an unstable westerly) currently in Ak theres a bit of Cu/cb stuff there ,a rainbow and nimbus moving in from the SW with rain looking ominous

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Tue 06/04/2004 08:26

24mm of rain overnight,currently sleet falling,but clearing slowly from the south.
Plenty of snow on the hills.

Reports of snow lying on the ground this morning from Kirwee, Darfield, and Cust. (altitudes about 150-200 metres - snow obviously quite a bit lower than the 400 or 500 metres predicted) My father said there was a light coating of snow above about 350-400 metres on Banks Peninsula. Can't yet see the Port Hills, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was some there as well. Solid rain at present in central Chch, and only about 4C.

TonyT · Unread post by **TonyT** » Tue 06/04/2004 08:32

The forecast temperatures and thicknesses for this storm were certainly low enough to bring snow to low levels (as has happened) I just didnt have the confidence to put 200m on the forecast for the first week of April! Thats one to remember for next time...

Skywatcher · Unread post by **Skywatcher** » Tue 06/04/2004 08:39

A heavy shower of small hail (about 2mm) here with the temp hovering around 3C - feels more like July

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Tue 06/04/2004 08:56

February put all our weather out of kilter hence being a month later it feels

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Tue 06/04/2004 08:58

We have some Cb clouds out West and SouthWest of Auckland this morning, the first time I've seen those in a long time.
It is very cold down in Canterbury for April. I think the instability will be playing a part in the low temperatures, Cb clouds with heavy rain will pull the temperature down under them.

Dean. · Unread post by **Dean.** » Tue 06/04/2004 09:14

Clearing inland here,still dark and stormy towards the coast in a southwest flow.But with what I can make out on the weather maps and sat pictures the southwest is going to turn more southerly.

jeffsweather · Unread post by **jeffsweather** » Tue 06/04/2004 09:44

Sleet falling in Christchurch when I was on my way to work between 9am and 9:20am, pleased I was not cycling! Port hills fogged in so can't see if there is any snow up there.

A bit of surface flooding on the streets with leaves blocking drains. Currently 3.8C at my station. Will it get to 10C as predicted?

Manukau heads obs · Tue 06/04/2004 10:13

finaly some interesting weather here, after a very dry march
big Cb's lining us up now
had some heavy rain, huge drops, first thing this morning....

see my new real time weather :
http://www.weather-display.com/windy/flash/

(but becuase of my slow internet conneciton it does not update very fast (I am going to get the satellite connection next month)

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Tue 06/04/2004 12:28

What you getting? Ihug stops everytime it rains due to rain fade.
Woosh would be good but only a few places get it

Manukau heads observer wrote: (but becuase of my slow internet conneciton it does not update very fast (I am going to get the satellite connection next month)

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Tue 06/04/2004 12:53

We had some Cb clouds cross the Auckland area this morning but only light showers affected central Auckland from spent Cb cloud. Currently 15c but it feels colder.
The current Satellite photo is showing active shower cloud just west of the North Island.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Tue 06/04/2004 13:17

Yes, first sign of instability for over a month, albeit fairly tame cb's.

Currently partly cloudy 16C in AK.

'Coldie cb' over Auckland earlier this morning.

Manukau heads obs · Tue 06/04/2004 13:22

telecom are launching the 2 way satellite system in may (so i have been told)

i cant get any wireless reception here, too many hills, and i am too far away from the exchange for adsl....

we have 8mm now out of some good showers (that weakened as they moved inland)
i can see more brewing...
they are moving ESE....but the whole trough system is slowly moving north by the looks
the rain on thursday will be good, to get the grass growing again!

Dean. · Unread post by **Dean.** » Tue 06/04/2004 14:03

Lightning Mid Canterbury foothills/Monday evening.

Dean. · Unread post by **Dean.** » Tue 06/04/2004 14:09

And another.............

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Tue 06/04/2004 14:23

Wow Deano!!

Dam, this is just so annoying. Micheal doesn't like the SW, I don't like missing lightning shots!!

I just got phoned up by a freind who said on the front of the Press there's the best lightning photo he's ever seen in his life, I haven't seen it yet but I can't wait to see what it looks like! He said it's even got Southshore in the photo (me!@!!) with a big lightning bolt that's up the coast and offshore, possibly CC forked ligthning from what I here. The same storm I was observing!!

I'm just......grrr...excitied but so frustrated at the same time

.....I'm going to pop!! Calm Aaron, calm......your time will come, lol

Once again, great going Dean!!

Manukau heads obs · Tue 06/04/2004 14:50

hi, yes, good stuff!

Skywatcher · Unread post by **Skywatcher** » Tue 06/04/2004 14:50

Aaron, here's a link to the picture you're talking about:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0 ... 09,00.html

Well done, Deano - I saw and heard nothing here

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Tue 06/04/2004 15:01

Thanks Steven G! A nice shot indeed and Southshore is right in the photo. I'm going to get the pic and see if my house is in it. From the looks of it I might be able to see it! Actually I'll go as far to say that I remember that exact strike, about 6:39pm or there abouts. That part of the lightning on the right hand side that resembles a ring is the part I remember. It's the one that made me go Bl#o%dy H@ll and run off the roof in my post back in page one of this thread.

VISIBLE SIGN: lightning strikes over South Shore in Christchurch yesterday.
DAVID HALLETT/The Press

Lightning and snow strike SI
06 April 2004

Last night's lightning storm over Christchurch was the most visible sign of the approach of winter as a southerly front brought snow down as low as 500 metres in the South Island.

MetService forecaster Erick Brenstrum said the lighting was the result of "very cold" air sweeping across the South Island from the Southern Ocean.

Brenstrum said the lightning would be at its most spectacular last night and at dawn this morning.

"There will be several bursts of showers and thunder storms with temporary lulls over the next few days. This stuff now (last night) will be the most spectacular."

Snow was falling to as low as 500m in Otago, and was forecast to fall at Porters Pass and even dust the tops of Banks Peninsula last night.

The cold weather was expected to last until Good Friday, with a break on Saturday before the arrival of another cold snap on Sunday.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Tue 06/04/2004 15:57

The Lightning photo's look great. Well done Deano.

Cold and wet over central Auckland right now as some showers pass over. Had a couple of bursts of Hail.

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Tue 06/04/2004 16:09

Hailstorm present in Hamilton right now.

But good god it's cold!!!

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Tue 06/04/2004 17:17

Sleet falling in Christchurch when I was on my way to work between 9am and 9:20am, pleased I was not cycling! Port hills fogged in so can't see if there is any snow up there.

Ditto. Got the bus instead, and soon realised I was glad not to be cycling as bits of sleet hit the front windscreen. Yes there was a bit of snow visible on the Port Hills once the cloud lifted by afternoon, but only the highest peaks, not Sugarloaf or the eastern hills (though could easily have been some there earlier, but melted) This is a very unusual event for so early in the year - I remember a similar wintry blast hitting Chch in April 1999, but that was later in the month.