Rain came a lot earlier than forecast

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Thu 08/04/2004 17:48

MetService made a blunder when they predicted rain to hold off in Canterbury until evening (and then only in North Cantebury), when it started falling about noon. I know it's not easy to predict the movement of lows, but by this morning I believe they should've had an idea that the rain-band on its southeastern flank was moving more quickly into Canterbury than originally thought.

I wouldn't be surprised if today was the coldest April day on record for Chch (only 7C max at Jeff's station) - I know Tuesday's icy blast was even colder than today's (with snow to lower levels), but the rain cleared on Tuesday afternoon, allowing the mercury to climb to just over 8C.

Dean. · Unread post by **Dean.** » Thu 08/04/2004 18:29

Snowing all day at Hanmer Springs,must be that cold air hanging around the valleys,anyway lower than the 700metres forecast.
Steady rain here this evening,temperature down to 5.8 degrees.
More snow for the hills,going to be a great ski season.

Andy · Unread post by **Andy** » Thu 08/04/2004 18:48

What height above sea level is hanmer springs ?

Cheers

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Thu 08/04/2004 18:49

Snowing all day at Hanmer Springs

I believe Hamner Springs is around the 400m level. Can someone confirm this.

I wouldn't be surprised if today was the coldest April day on record for Chch

This morning would have been near the coldest dawn on record for Auckland, for the month of April, if not the coldest. 4C here at 6am. In past winters we have struggled to get that cold in July.

ScottyD · Unread post by **ScottyD** » Thu 08/04/2004 19:43

from memory i think hanmer springs is 387m asl. But don't quote me on that

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Thu 08/04/2004 21:05

The latest satellite map shows more of the rainband wrapped over the middle of the S.I but little furthur north but we will "cop it" when those nasty SW start up as the low moves away to the east

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Thu 08/04/2004 21:52

Snowing all day at Hanmer Springs,must be that cold air hanging around the valleys,anyway lower than the 700metres forecast.
Steady rain here this evening,temperature down to 5.8 degrees.
More snow for the hills,going to be a great ski season.

TV1 Weather said the maximum at Hanmer today was only 2C! The latest forecast has the Canterbury snow level down to 500 metres. Still higher than Hanmer, but this is a weather situation that tends to result in snow reaching lower levels in inland valleys and basins, but usually not this early in the year. However, it must be noted that, unlike more typical wintry outbreaks this time of year, the snow on the mounatins hadn't shown any sign of melting yesterday. From what I could see from upstairs at work, there was still a coating well down (934 metre high) Mt Grey above Amberley yesterday afternoon. A sign that the air hadn't warmed up much after Tuesday's icy blast.

Apparently there has also been snow on Mt Taranaki down to about the level of the Mountain Resorts (about 800-900 metres), and an article in today's farming section of the Press (concerning after effects of February's floods) mentioned flurries affecting the Waitotara and Ahu Ahu Valley areas near Wanganui (presumably about the time of that city's big hailstorm). But I haven't heard anything about the Desert Road or Ruapehu, though I guess they'd have got some as well.

Gary Roberts · Unread post by **Gary Roberts** » Sat 10/04/2004 10:58

So let's hope the farmers take the hint this time...or will they wait for the "bloody government", airforce and tax-payers to rescue them yet again...

[Gary, surrounded by farmers, watches his back closely...]