Prolonged icy blast starting Saturday 14th

Fujita Phil · Unread post by **Fujita Phil** » Sun 15/08/2004 23:30

Another good wave through. A thick inch now and probably more to come yet

Chris Raine · Unread post by **Chris Raine** » Sun 15/08/2004 23:33

We had a decent snow shower for30 minutes from 2100 -2130 with 2 cm settling on the ground in Invercargill. Temp now 0.4 degrees Wind NW 5 kts. Think that there is more to come. Satellite pictures show something in Foveaux Strait still. Roads are getting icy too.

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Mon 16/08/2004 01:07

Me and Stephen Burrows's challenge should we choose to accept it was to go and do the snow thing, which we did! I guess you guys have never seen me, well I'm just below, me on the right and Burrows (03Stormchaser) on the left.

First picture of us was up at the foothills behind Oxford and the 8th picture was up there to. Others from left to right show the journey from just out of Chch up to the Waimak gorge, through to Oxford and then back home again via Darfeild and the West Coast Rd.

Crazy buggers in snow land, dam good fun!

Manukau heads obs · Mon 16/08/2004 06:45

WOW!
great photos guys, and happy birthday aaron!

Andy · Unread post by **Andy** » Mon 16/08/2004 07:31

hope you having fun in the snow

Frosty here this morning and -4 degrees, with 3/8 cloud

ricky · Unread post by **ricky** » Mon 16/08/2004 07:39

wow... great photos .. love the snow hat Aaron! lol

sure sounds like a big event there.. I hear Dunedin is cut off by road and airport well under snow this morning as well

03Stormchaser · Unread post by **03Stormchaser** » Mon 16/08/2004 07:47

All schools in Dunedin closed!
Also the AA advises to not go out in Dunedin! unless urgent!
Still snowing in CHCH! But very light. Had the hardest shnow shower thru CHCH about 10pm last night! Well the hardest I witnessed!

Manukau heads obs · Mon 16/08/2004 07:53

all that cold air has arrived here now....8oC here now....dew point now only 2oC, down from 10oC yesterday!

TonyT · Unread post by **TonyT** » Mon 16/08/2004 08:04

No snow on the ground in Canterbury north of Christchurch as far as I can tell (on the Plains that is), and even the coating on the hills looks light. After the falls from the cloud sheet associated with the front its been all coastal stuff, with the CBs running parallel with the coast and just dumping on Chch and the Peninsula, and leaving everywhere else alone. Its rather unusual that there are schools closed in Christchurch city, but not anywhere else in Canterbury.

03Stormchaser · Unread post by **03Stormchaser** » Mon 16/08/2004 08:26

Just gotten off the phone to my brother, still a few inches lying around oxford and the waimak gorge!

Also a good 2-3 inches here in CHCH (northwest CHCh anyway!)

Fujita Phil · Unread post by **Fujita Phil** » Mon 16/08/2004 08:27

SNOW DAY!!!

Roads & schools are closed. I'm stuck here for the morning at least

.

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Mon 16/08/2004 09:30

. After the falls from the cloud sheet associated with the front its been all coastal stuff, with the CBs running parallel with the coast and just dumping on Chch and the Peninsula, and leaving everywhere else alone.

We had a few more light snow flurries up to just after dawn in the central city. Still looks to be snowing in the east of Chch, but clearer (partly cloudy) to the west. However, I can see cloud building up well to the southwest.

jeffsweather · Unread post by **jeffsweather** » Mon 16/08/2004 10:13

My anemometer and wind vane are stuck with snow this morning when I looked at 7am, looks like it might be free now with a small reading on the wind speed graph.
The melting snow is dripping through the rain gauge.

Cold southerly breeze. Just went to take a couple of snaps at work and was pleased to be back on the warm office.

Gary Roberts · Unread post by **Gary Roberts** » Mon 16/08/2004 10:16

jeffsweather wrote:Cold southerly breeze. Just went to take a couple of snaps at work and was pleased to be back on the warm office.

And you call yourself a weather-geek! For shame!

Chris Raine · Unread post by **Chris Raine** » Mon 16/08/2004 10:21

Cold and fine n Invercargill this morning 0.4 degrees with 92 % humidity at 0900. One cm snow lying on the ground. We have increasing cloud from the west with the next front due to make landfall later today. Roads are icy around Otautau with an ambulance already come to grief about 30 minutes ago stuck in snow drifts being rescued as I type.

ScottyD · Unread post by **ScottyD** » Mon 16/08/2004 10:27

Just talked to mum on the phone, she lives in Porirua, 15 minutes north of Wellington. Although snow is falling on the Rimutaka Hill Rd and it is closed, Summit 555 m, there is no snow in the west yet. The hill above Porirua (Colonial Knob) is aoubt 470m asl and there are no signs of snow there yet. I've told mum to keep the camera ready. I've olnly ever seen snow on that hill twice in my life, as it seems that when it does snow to low levels, it doesn't affect that area.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Mon 16/08/2004 10:36

Overcaste, -2c with continuous light to moderate very dry snow here . 1cm to 2cm new snow over night here in Queenstown.

Weather Watcher · Unread post by **Weather Watcher** » Mon 16/08/2004 10:39

Showers of sleet and small hail in Lower Hutt now. Snow on the Orongorongo ranges (east of Lower Hutt) to about 400 metres.

ScottyD · Unread post by **ScottyD** » Mon 16/08/2004 10:45

Weather Watcher wrote:Showers of sleet and small hail in Lower Hutt now. Snow on the Orongorongo ranges (east of Lower Hutt) to about 400 metres.

It's always the way, the hutt will often get snow on the hills, but slightly west it seems to be sheltered from all the bad (good snowy) weather. It would be nice for that snow level to drop further there.

jeffsweather · Unread post by **jeffsweather** » Mon 16/08/2004 10:50

Gary Roberts wrote:
And you call yourself a weather-geek! For shame!

I agree Gary, just us soft townies.
I'd like to think I'll be cycling up the Port Hills and some way along the summit Rd this afternoon to experience some weather but I'll be wrapped up a bit warmer then I am now!

Gary Roberts · Unread post by **Gary Roberts** » Mon 16/08/2004 11:02

jeffsweather wrote:
Gary Roberts wrote:
And you call yourself a weather-geek! For shame!
I agree Gary, just us soft townies.
I'd like to think I'll be cycling up the Port Hills and some way along the summit Rd this afternoon to experience some weather but I'll be wrapped up a bit warmer then I am now!

A couple of New Years Eves ago, a nice little stormed rolled over the top of Benmore Peak. It was a majorly exhiliarating event, but I remember thinking that if it got too bad, all I had to do to escape it was walk a few 100m down the road! Must be getting old...

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Mon 16/08/2004 12:45

Feels cold in AK today with just 11C, partly cloudy day, but we have just had a hail/rain shower here.

Thunder · Unread post by **Thunder** » Mon 16/08/2004 14:06

Thanks Brian!

I don't know why I put that snow on my head, just for fun!

Had tiny little hail before ,really small! Only lasted about a minute.

Photo's below from this morning, Port Hills top and Hagley Park below:

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Mon 16/08/2004 15:48

"The Desert Rd, Napier-Taupo roads those sort of sensitive roads probably will be affected," Mr Sanders said.

"There'll be snow on the hills probably as low as 300m, 500m on the ranges and even on the Desert Rd -- a pretty cold snap coming on."

(from NZ Herald online news item)

"Even on the Desert Road". Snow's more certain there than anywhere else.

The full impact of the icy blast hasn't yet hit the central North Island - Waiouru may be just over 0C, but the latest Ohakune webcam still shows no snow cover, but cloudy skies. However, I have noticed single figure temperatures extending right up to Northland in many places, so cold air has obviously arrived. The main course looks like hitting NZ from later today or tonight - some of the warnings (eg heavy snow above 300 metres on Rimutaka Road through Tuesday) suggest this could easily be a major disruptive event.

Partly cloudy in Chch; a brief sleety shower in the central city about late morning, but nothing more. Snow's starting to melt, but still quite alot lying around.

Gary Roberts · Unread post by **Gary Roberts** » Mon 16/08/2004 16:04

tich wrote:Partly cloudy in Chch; a brief sleety shower in the central city about late morning, but nothing more. Snow's starting to melt, but still quite alot lying around.

I remain sceptical of current predictions (not that I'm a cynic or anything...), but I hope you guys had a jolly frolic in your snow!

I appear to be alone amongst the residents of Omarama in hoping for some more snow before winter is completely gone.

Plenty of miserable OhYahs still here, moping around, desperate for more snow, but I'd hate to be lumped-in with them!