Wintry week

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Tue 06/04/2004 17:35

Well done on the lightning photos Deano.

Also, I particularly like the photo from the Press. I have to say thats the best lightning photo I have seen taken in this country. Its just spectacular.

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Tue 06/04/2004 19:03

We had two thuderstorms around Palmerston North today, one between 11:00 and 12:00 this morning whilst the other one was somewhere between 14:30 and 15:30.

This morning's storm hit the south and eastern part of Palmerston North, with several large rumbles of thunder. Small hail also fell from this storm at the location of my work, near the centre of Palmy. The afternoon storm hit south and west of Palmerston North, with about a dozen good CG flashes.

I just saw on One News that Wanganui got a good coating of small hail dumped on it, this afternoon.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Tue 06/04/2004 21:08

Occasional static on am band. Heard thunder 8.55pm.
Temp 10C with rain.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Tue 06/04/2004 21:57

Had a heavy shower here around 9pm with a rumble of Thunder.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Tue 06/04/2004 22:09

Just cold and yuckky tonight

NZ Thunderstorm Soc · Tue 06/04/2004 23:36

[quote="Michael"]Yes I like the train there too,its a DSG shunter

quote]

Yes Michael, a DSG heading a rake of containers down to port (Lyttelton) on No 2 shunt. Couldn't pick the number as I'm not a trainspotter just a broken down train driver

JohnGaul
NZTS

PS.
I am picking up a few sfericalls as I type. Possibly out to sea again

NZ Thunderstorm Soc · Wed 07/04/2004 00:14

NZstorm wrote:
Also, I particularly like the photo from the Press. I have to say thats the best lightning photo I have seen taken in this country. Its just spectacular.

Yes, Steven, I was totally impressed by it as it was one of the only three lightning strikes that I new of which happened last night.
I see poor Aaron recorded it in true NZTS fashion??

As I said in another post, I never heard or saw anything but did hear some sfrerics on the radio.
It is an impressive lightning photo shot.

I don't know how the guy took the photo.
How did he know that it was going to flash out there at that time?
There must be secret thunderstorm admirers around

There were dead CBs around for much of the afternoon, I recorded NO sferix, nothing. The barometer was at 1014hPa here with an indication of it getting higher. The sky was unstable however.
Thanks Deano for your shots. Excellent. I've run out of NZTS T-shirts but when I get a new batch, yor first in line

Thats the second time now that recent lightning strikes have featured on the front page of the PRESS.

Maybe I should give up my recording of such events and just leave it to the media ???????????

JohnGaul
NZTS\

PS. Sfreix still crackling away as I type. Probably off the Canterbury Coast. I will go for a look before I go off to bed.
WOW. One just now sounded good, a real "nighty ripper" !!! $\:D/$

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Wed 07/04/2004 01:04

That train number was 3033, not sure what it means?

Yes John I recorded it in true NZTS fashion!! It really was a bugger because there was literally only 3 flashs in close succession and then 3 more further out to sea spaced over an hours time. I agree John on how did that guy know etc, there had to of been a flash prior to that big one so he then set up his camera? There always seems to be some cout out there who takes a picture of lighting in these type of events, recently anyway. Perhaps there is a secret thunderstorm admirers society about??I'll never know..... If one were to be able to zoom in on that picture somehow, you would see me standing on my roof, I had a look at the pic in the press but I can't distinguish my house in it.

I'm getting scferix here to John, not frequent but as you say some of them are good! I just had a look at the 12pm metvuw radar and there is a big purple blob sitting behind Banks Peninsula, so anyone at birdlings Flat will be getting a good view of whats going on if there is any action. Off to have a look then bed!

Manukau heads obs · Wed 07/04/2004 06:08

we had the loudest thunder clap i have every heard at 12:30am!!!
the wife and I both jumped into each others skins!!
(we were woken by heavy hail, then there was this explosion BOOM!!)

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 07/04/2004 07:09

Got woken by hail ay about 4.15am.

Thunder is louder in a colder atmosphere. Reason being that the colder air is more dense and requires more energy to expand it by the lightning bolt.

Temp is 7C here at the moment.

Manukau heads obs · Wed 07/04/2004 08:32

there is hail still on the ground up the road from us...
it completly blanketed the ground at 3am seemingly
did you see the hail wanganui got!

that thunerclap, there was no warning, it was just BOOM!, like an explosion!

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Wed 07/04/2004 08:39

To take Lightning photos at night you need a Camera that allows you to hold the shutter open and a tripod. Point the Camera toward the Storm and hold the shutter open for short bursts , say 30 seconds but this will depend on the amount street lighting etc you have in your way, you need to get away from bright lights.
I've taken night time Lightning photos in Australia and USA and over there it has been easy as you get storms a with continuous Lightning.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Wed 07/04/2004 09:36

That was the TMS number of the locomotive which is to record the class since 1978.Before that time the number was obtained by its horsepower,and prefix Ds(diesiel shunter) has been with us since the first drewerys arrived in 1949-50.

As for the weather its cleared a bit with a cool westerly should be some showers as it gets established

Aaron J Wilkinson wrote:That train number was 3033, not sure what it means?

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 07/04/2004 17:14

I notice the dewpoint temperature at the kermedecs today is 18C.
If any of this moist air gets onto northern NZ in the next few days there will be 'fireworks'. That kind of moisture will quickly turn the upper air very unstable.

Ratrover · Unread post by **Ratrover** » Wed 07/04/2004 19:08

Cool up north today- coldest yet - put my hand out the window and felt it even! Ah well, at least itll clear the beaches for the easter break - I hope!!

NZ Thunderstorm Soc · Wed 07/04/2004 19:17

spwill wrote:To take Lightning photos at night you need a Camera that allows you to hold the shutter open and a tripod. Point the Camera toward the Storm and hold the shutter open for short bursts , say 30 seconds but this will depend on the amount street lighting etc you have in your way, you need to get away from bright lights.
I've taken night time Lightning photos in Australia and USA and over there it has been easy as you get storms a with continuous Lightning.

I noticed that the photograph was a bit 'bright' as that shot was taken around 7 to 730pm ish when it was quite dark here, so it must of been taken that way. As the lightning flashes were few and far between, I think also luck contributed in obtaining such a good shot.
Good one

JohnGaul
NZTS

NZ Thunderstorm Soc · Wed 07/04/2004 19:32

NZstorm wrote:Got woken by hail ay about 4.15am.

Thunder is louder in a colder atmosphere. Reason being that the colder air is more dense and requires more energy to expand it by the lightning bolt.

Yes I would agree with that.
In 1995, whilst travelling down the Flaxton Straight on 450 express freight at 80kph, I encountered a brilliant flash of lightning over the train as we were speeding south. The thunder was instant and I could hear it over the sound of the DF loco I was driving at the time

...so it must of been #^&..ing loud

JohnGaul
NZTS

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Wed 07/04/2004 19:39

Hideous all I can say

They tell us cloud increasing tomorrow(its hardly decreased) although its clear at present to lower the temp and allow the winter moon to light the sky up typical winter pattern with a winter like extended trough over us

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 07/04/2004 20:00

Re the Wanganui Hail Storm

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0 ... 27,00.html

Picture in this link is impressive.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Wed 07/04/2004 21:46

I reckon the South Shore lightning photo was totally opportunist, the photographer just happened to be in the right place at the right time and to his credit saw half a chance for maybe a good photo and no doubt could not believe his luck when he got that shot. The photo would have been taken on a wide angle lens and then cropped, it's composition is too good. The photo will be hanging on his wall.

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Wed 07/04/2004 23:15

Yes Spwill, that photo was cropped for putting on the web. The originall pic on the PRESS paper edition shows it in it's wide angel form. I went to the Press in Chch today and yes that photographer was a Press photographer so I'm going to get a copy of it next week. It's $35 dollars if I remember correctly for an A3 sized pic and $55 for the next size up which I can't remember exactly (there are smaller sizes). Actually. I'll go there tomorrow and get sizes plus prices and report back here with them, if anyone wants a copy I'd be happy to get them one but we'll wait to tomorrow when I get the prices and propper sizes etc.

I'm sure that pic was taken at about 6:39pm (thats the time I saw the 3 main flashes, the press pic would of been one of them) because I missed out on the TV weather forecast and left the beach at 7:49pm as it had been an hour and a bit by then. It was light way out west still, but nice and dark out east due to the black Cb cloud and obviously the sun doesn't set in the east. This is why this photographer got it at this time of night.

GreggWard · Unread post by **GreggWard** » Wed 07/04/2004 23:39

Lightning strikes cause disruptions in city

Link to story about local storms, yesterday, can be found at the address below:

http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/eveningstandar ... 03,00.html

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Wed 07/04/2004 23:53

Strange looking clouds in Chch today

(mostly cleared up later in afternoon) - I thought they might produce showers, but nothing eventuated, except for some over outer Banks Peninsula. Still chilly, though quite a bit milder than yesterday.

I see the NZ Herald made an error in reporting yesterday's hailstorm in Wanganui - they mentioned it as snow

(with the photo) I think most people would accept it as an error. I think snow settling in Wanganui would be an extremely rare occurence in July, let alone April.

Ratrover · Unread post by **Ratrover** » Thu 08/04/2004 07:47

While hauling in a long line about 10.00 clock summer evening at back of great barrier Island - watching the lightning coming from mainland closer and closer - suddenly had a green tinge to the sky then woop BANG - every thing was silent (from deafness) and black (from blindness), i thought had died - then slowly my functions returned- we ran away and anchored up for the night far away from there - the storm headed out to sea - we reckon it was a direct hit on the boat or very close by - electrics on the boat were, fine have been cautious ever since with lightning but still get excited - hows the front looking for a bit of action over Northland tomorrow?

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Thu 08/04/2004 08:00

They got a ligt dusting I think in 1976 and it was on the high country in July 1980

tich wrote: I see the NZ Herald made an error in reporting yesterday's hailstorm in Wanganui - they mentioned it as snow (with the photo) I think most people would accept it as an error. I think snow settling in Wanganui would be an extremely rare occurence in July, let alone April.