Thunderstorms & Cold Outbreak , March 8-13th!!

[Storm Struck]

Interesting trackers are picking up some strikes again now, could be over BP way.
There is another dark shower cell closing in from the south too, had another shower before after the sun has been out for an hour or so little bit of hail.
Cheers
Jason.

[Andy]

Yes Jase just had a shower here, temp down to 7 as well. Very chilly out there, for March.

[tich]

Themometer dropped as low as 6.9C (Jeff's station) this afternoon during showers - if this current weather situation had occurred in winter, we'd be looking at snow to sea-level. Might be some falling on Mt Herbert at these temperatures.

[Michael]

1985 was as cold this week but it was a NI event I remember.

Someone left the freezer door open again , i dont think i have ever felt it so bitterly cold in early March before.
Jason.

[tich]

Looks like the lower North Island isn't escaping the chill either. I see Takapau was only 5C at 6pm - very unseasonable for somewhere I think is only about 200m asl in Hawkes Bay.

Today's chill might seem unusually early, but I recall icy southerly blasts not being that uncommon in March over recent years. Examples being snow on Desert Rd late March 2004, briefly down to 300m in far south March 2005, Cold southerly storm early March 2006, and a cold outbreak in 2007 brought snow to St Arnaud (earliest on record) and as low as 300m in Fiordland in mid March.

[Storm Struck]

Yes its not normally until late March we often see low level snowfalls, but i also think the windchill has made the day time temperature feel alot colder than it is.
Still plenty of chances for seasonal thunderstorms yet, a good one from memory was the April 23rd storm in 2006 i think it was and that was a night time storm.
Brought very big hail during a hailstorm that swept through the city.
Cheers
Jason.

[Tornado Tim]

Speaking of the cold look at this station in Matamata: http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstat ... IWAIKATO14
I don't think it is working properly. A pressure of 999.9 hpa and a DP of 2.9°C

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

I flew back from Wellington early this afternoon, today and here are 2 photos that I took from the aeroplane flying over the Kaikoura Peninsula. Notice the new snow on the Seaward Kaikouras through the clouds.
The cloud tops weren't all that high so nothing interesting to be expected weather wize.


JohnGaul
NZThS

UpperHutt March 2009 063 (Small).jpg

[spwill]

Yes its not normally until late March we often see low level snowfalls

What level did the snow fall to today, looked like about 600m around Qtwn. I have seen a dusting to 300m in March but that is rare.

[Storm Struck]

Thats possibly the levels the snow settled to but brief flakes were being reported in Wanaka and Arrowtown last night from Trade Me posters.
I know Wanaka is around 320m asl, snow could have settled anywhere from 400m and higher.
Cheers
Jason.

[tich]

Waiouru down to 3C at 9pm with plenty of precipitation around on radar - snow on Desert Road? (mountain forecasts not updated since early this morning by MetService, so no indication of freezing levels in North Island)
Cleared now in Chch. (for how long?)

[CHCH Weather Chaser]

Nice band has developed to the south of the city, not big but quite intense. Very coastal but it moves directly north could be a brief heavy period of showers with some hail. 7 degrees at the moment but maybe dropping down to around 5 degrees with the squalls coming through. Maybe a few flakes at the top of BP tonight? Just as i write the4 southerlies are picking up big time. Something is about to give me thinks

Heavy rain now falling, hear it on the roof and it loud!!!

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

On the second of the 2 photographs I took of Kaikoura today, I noticed there is an interesting swell/mud line coming off the top tip of the peninsula and heading north. What would that be?

JohnGaul
NZThS

[Lacertae]

Just the SW wind blowing all the mud from the river south of Kaikoura (can't see its name on my road map), no ?

[Manukau heads obs]

SW wind has dropped away overnight here to nearly nothing...but not much rise in the baro
pressure map shows a bit of a col over the upper NI>..i.e widened area of the isobars....caused by the SI affect on the SWer most likely
also the high is not being forced onto us as quickly as TC Hamish has weakened alot....as well....and the last trough/front moved away quickly, leaving a bit of a void sort of thing...

the SW wind will come back though!

[David]

Yep you never know with a SW flow! This morning it has dipped to 11.5°C here because the SW died out overnight but the night before the low was 16.3°C when the SW didn't die out...makes it harder to know what sort of conditions you need to sleep in!

[Manukau heads obs]

reports of snow on the kaimanawa ranges south of taupo this morning

[spwill]

A fine morning so far, currently 18C, light winds.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Just the SW wind blowing all the mud from the river south of Kaikoura (can't see its name on my road map), no ?

Thanks for that Ben. The river is the Kowai which exits it's waters to the south of the peninsula. The other river to the north of the town is the Hapuku.

JohnGaul
NZThS

[Vertigo]

a friend just reported thunder in central auckland? can someone verify? that cloud looks very massive and black.

[Manukau heads obs]

just had a surprisingly heavy squally shower go through here
SW wind picking up more and more

[David]

Some of these showers are getting quite heavy...just had a brief downpour that gave about 1mm in less than 5 minutes. Wind here is not much at all compared to yesterday though.

[mikestormchaser]

Was in the lounge last night, catching up with Aussie family and all of a sudden a massive hail shower hit us, typical hard tapping on the windows.
It wasn't big hail just small, prob around 5mm in diameter but it did semi cover my car and lawn, as it was straight full on hail with no rain for a good minute.

[spwill]

friend just reported thunder in central auckland? can someone verify?

Not the conditions for thunder today.

A few showers around this afternoon, dewpoints have come up from 8C to 14C this afternoon.
Max around 21C , cool for the time of year.

[jamie]

no thunder in auckland around that time Vertigo.. i was walking around uni all that time and there was nothing even remotly like thunder.