Wet High

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Fri 11/06/2004 13:28

Since this anticyclone is wet may as well start a new thread.

It looks like a weak NW flow outside today looking at the clouds and a light surface easterly

C-Nimbus · Unread post by **C-Nimbus** » Fri 11/06/2004 13:53

well,
its persisting down in Newmarket at the mo (13:50 hrs)

i also saw some glaciation on a smallish looking Cu/Cb formation

wierd

ScottyD · Unread post by **ScottyD** » Fri 11/06/2004 16:30

I noticed some clouds building during the afternoon, but didn't develop into much. Took some photos though. They were taken from Albany area just before 4pm The second and 3rd photos are of the same cloud formation taken about 5 minutes apart.

Gary Roberts · Unread post by **Gary Roberts** » Fri 11/06/2004 17:30

scottiedavies wrote:I noticed some clouds building during the afternoon, but didn't develop into much. Took some photos though. They were taken from Albany area just before 4pm The second and 3rd photos are of the same cloud formation taken about 5 minutes apart.

It oughta be a law that any clouds which look that impressive must deliver some action weather!

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Fri 11/06/2004 17:33

Good photos there.

Upper air was actually unstable but the lack of cb development was a symptom of the time of year....too cool.

Hey, I photographed this this distant cb about 4.45pm, and it shows up on the 5pm satellite over the top of Coromandal. 75km distant. Quite possibly a thunderstorm.

Gary Roberts · Unread post by **Gary Roberts** » Fri 11/06/2004 17:38

NZstorm wrote:Good photos there.

Upper air was actually unstable but the lack of cb development was a symptom of the time of year....too cool.

Hey, I photographed this this distant cb about 4.45pm, and it shows up on the 5pm satellite over the top of Coromandal. 75km distant. Quite possibly a thunderstorm.

Where'd you take those pics from? Did you use a telephoto/zoom?

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Fri 11/06/2004 18:00

Isolated heavy showers over Auckland during the afternoon. I was working in Parnell and observed a heavy shower about 2pm. Barometer 1025hpa today!!!!!

Took these snaps of local convection from Parnell area.

Big Cumulus buildup over east Auckland.

A glaciating Cumulonimbus over Hunua (east of AK).

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Fri 11/06/2004 18:19

Some nice Cu build ups over Auckland today.

Land convection is too weak at this time of the year for TS development but they can develop out to sea.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Fri 11/06/2004 19:54

Land convection is too weak at this time of the year for TS development but they can develop out to sea

Yes, I agree. But there was some heavy showers over Auckland this afternoon so some convection firing. Likely to have been isolated hail over AK today as well.

Karen on TV1 reported an electrical storm/6cm hail on ground. Didn't catch where this was. Anyone else hear?

Winds were light variable, temp upto 16C, dewpoint 11C Baro 1025hpa.

More pics

T/cu cb line over eastern Auckland around 3pm.

same line

Cumulus buildup over AK city about 1pm

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Fri 11/06/2004 20:21

Karen on TV1 reported an electrical storm/6cm hail on ground. Didn't catch where this was. Anyone else hear?

I heard - it was near Te Awamutu. Must be an upper level trough or similar up north - surface pressure weather map on TV doesn't look like a thunder/hail producing situation, at least not in winter time. I doubt whether afternoon temps in the low-mid teens would heat the ground much in June.
BTW TV1 weather also mentioned an overnight dusting of snow on the Desert Road. Quite probably more snow showers on the eastern North Island ranges tonight to lower levels than suggested by the 1400 metre freezing level in today's mountain forecast. The 6PM obs show single figure temps in places like Gisborne, with further showers forecast there.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Fri 11/06/2004 20:59

whether afternoon temps in the low-mid teens would heat the ground much in June

An inland storm in June is interesting. There is still a little bit of heating in that sun though. Aucklands temperature rose from 7C at daybreak to 16C by early afternoon. Upper air is very cold (upper trough) with the 500hpa temperature minus 27C. End up with a lapse rate of 7.5C+. Unstable.

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Fri 11/06/2004 21:27

There is still a little bit of heating in that sun though. Aucklands temperature rose from 7C at daybreak to 16C by early afternoon.

I don't think the Waikato and BOP got as warm as Auckland. (Paeroa's 3PM temp was about 11C)
Just imagine if today's weather system happened in summer - then we'd be looking at some serious action.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Fri 11/06/2004 21:29

Thanks for those photos NZstorm and scottiedavies.
Thunderstorm development over the land from day time heating in June is unusual.

Next weekends weather might be interesting.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Fri 11/06/2004 21:36

Hamilton City got to 15C. Waikato cb development today was in proximity to Hamilton City although no precip at Hamilton.

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Fri 11/06/2004 21:45

Great photos Guys'! Good to see some decent looking clouds! $\:D/$

Yes this was a cold pool. When looking at the AVN charts it shows a pool about -27 at 500mb as you say Steven, the AVN lifted index chart also corresponded to this showing some instability.

Here's the (3pm) 500mb temp map showing -26 / -27 over the Auckland area and it goes down to -29 / -30 where it correspondes to that little group of Cb's of the coast of Hawkes Bay on the Sat pic you posted Steven W.

I'm sure that cloud over the Coromandel went thundery because I can see fresh lightning strikes near there on the map. When looking at the 7:49pm Sat pic you can tell things are still going off out at see, when looking at the lightning map it confirms there is lightning still going off right now!

3:48pm Sat pic

7:49pm Sat pic

Those Sat pics you use Steven W are quite good and despite the small size show up Cb's really well, I'll have to add them to the Sat pics pages in future when I do reports on my site.

I'll watch the 'Tonight" edition of the news as I didn't see the forecast on the 6pm news. I'm guessing you mean hail 6cm deep, not hail 6cm in diameter? Would've been cool if it was though eh! As long as no one got hurt.

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Fri 11/06/2004 22:20

NZstorm wrote:Hamilton City got to 15C. Waikato cb development today was in proximity to Hamilton City although no precip at Hamilton.

How do you know we got up to 15c? Heavy kinda shower at around 8.30.
Big & heavy drops, but very far apart. Looks like it has effected Tauranga the most.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Sat 12/06/2004 09:51

How do you know we got up to 15c?

http://www.tokaanuskihire.co.nz/johngor ... oncity.htm

Aaron, thanks for the additional information. Yes, the Met Service lightning chart indicates Isolated storms over Hunua and Coromandal as well as inland Waikato. My assessment of the LI's yesterday (ignore lifted index maps, they are seldom accurate) was locally -3.

Did you use a telephoto/zoom?

140mm optical zoom.

GraemeWi · Unread post by **GraemeWi** » Sat 12/06/2004 19:25

Just arrived back from a week of rain in the tropics - the locals had not seen anything like it - rain all week.

Anyways, flew through the muck you guys have had. There was very high cloud (higher than the 38,000 ft we were at) and 100 knot winds which made for a rough flight.

Attached pic is the back end of the system about 1 hour out of Auckland.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Sat 12/06/2004 19:48

Airplane photos are interesting,I seen ones that look like depressions ie circular patterns of cloud but you wouldnt see a whole depression at 38000 ft?

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Sat 12/06/2004 19:53

Now that puts a different perspective on things! Cool pic Graeme.

Steven. For some reason I think this may of been asked before but how do you judge the lifted index for a particular area. Is it from Skew T's?, and if so how do you interpret the LI from it? Maybe those links on your website that go to the Skew T information pages may help?

Manukau heads obs · Sun 13/06/2004 07:10

i put this photo on the wrong thread
taken early on friday, looking NW

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Sun 13/06/2004 09:25

Just arrived back from a week of rain in the tropics - the locals had not seen anything like it - rain all week.

Non stop rain in fiji today judging by Nandi Airport metars.

There will be some annoyed holiday makers up there.

June averages for Nandi
5 rain days, 71mm, Sunshine 209hrs, max 29C, min 19C.

GraemeWi · Unread post by **GraemeWi** » Sun 13/06/2004 10:08

Yes there were quite a few people caught out by the unseasonal rain. One of the americans took to wearing a bathrobe at the bar as it was the warmest thing they could find. Obviously hadn't read any guidebooks etc, they all say to take a jacket or sweatshirt for the evenings.

May through to November is the 'dry' season in Tonga and none of the people on the tiny island I was on could recall a sustained period of strong winds and rain like we had. When there was a gap in the low level cloud you could see some strong convection at times.

Cheers,

G

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Sun 13/06/2004 10:09

Aaron

Yes, the skew-t is a good tool for estimating possible LI.

Surface Dewpoint, follow the mixing ratio
Surface Temp, follow the dry adiabatic lapse rate
Were they both intersect, run a line up the sounding parallel to SALR.
(saturated adiabatic lapse rate)

By estimating maximum afternoon surface temps/dewpoints you can assess the likely LI. (convection).

A useful forecasting tool for summer inland convection.

Still cold over Auckland today, 500hpa -25C.
But surface air is too dry for convection.
Despite barometer 1030hpa, there is no inversion!!

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Sun 13/06/2004 17:49

It apparently 'poured' in Whitianga yesterday, 22mm

Fine and mostly clear the last two days, though there were some good Cb's developing over the eastern Kaimais.