Yet Another Fizzer

Archive of General Weather
Forum rules
These topics are a read-only archive and may be subject to out-of-date information.

For today's weather discussion head to: New Zealand Weather & Climate
Locked
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
Posts: 18488
Joined: Wed 12/03/2003 22:08
Location: Raukapuka Geraldine
Has thanked: 1769 times
Been thanked: 1412 times

Yet Another Fizzer

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Looks like another Fizzer is on it's way from Friday.
Although it will be cold I can't see anything exceptional happening despite the coldness of the air. Nothing to the south.
I like MetService's description on their latest advisory of a "Mother of All cold Outbreaks on it's way" I was close to my mother and it was a warm feeling not cold!

JohnGaul
NZTS
User avatar
TonyT
Moderator
Posts: 2878
Joined: Thu 08/05/2003 11:09
Location: Amberley, North Canterbury
Has thanked: 352 times
Been thanked: 1146 times

Unread post by TonyT »

Airflows this cold are unlikely to produce thunderstorms for the very reason Steven alluded to in another post, the depth of convection is often quite shallow. Thats also why significant hail is unlikely, more the fine ice pellets which are just frozen rain.

I recall a snow event back in Chch in the late 70s I think when a heavy hail storm preceded a snowfall, and the bed of hail on the ground helped the snow to settle overnight. Making snowmen the next day (hey, I was still at school then :) ) you could see the hail at the bottom of the snow layer. I seem to recall that there was a lightening strike on the Sugarloaf TV tower in that snow event, which rather makes my comments above about thunder and very cold airflows look a bit silly. Oh well ;)
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
Posts: 18488
Joined: Wed 12/03/2003 22:08
Location: Raukapuka Geraldine
Has thanked: 1769 times
Been thanked: 1412 times

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Do MetService realize that the term "Mother" is short for "Mother-farquer"?
Ruth Richardson didn't realize this in 1991 when she described her budget being the "Mother of all Budgets"!
... Yes, anyway, I still think that nothing exceptional will happen from Friday, well in Canterbury anyway.


JohnGaul
NZTS
User avatar
Michael
Posts: 7210
Joined: Thu 27/03/2003 12:04
Location: Rainy Manurewa, Auckland - "City of Gales"
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Unread post by Michael »

Perhaps we can send Roger Douglas and Ruth Richardson a one way ticket to Campbell Island to experiance "The Mother Of Cold" Pity the poor wildlife on the Island putting up with those two ;)
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Unread post by NZstorm »

Thunder is quite rare with snowy events. But thunder was reported during the mid Canterbury snow storm last winter . I doubt there would have been much though.

I remember being out in a snow storm many years ago in Dunedin.
There was an unexpected big bright flash followed by the thunder. An unusual occurance of thundersnow.

As Tony mentioned, thunder is unusual with snowy events because of the depth of the cumulonimbus. Cb tops are generally not high enough or the upward motion of the convection not strong enough.
I have found 7,000m the usual threshold for thunder development. So long as the upward motion achieves a threshold velocity too.
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Unread post by NZstorm »

And just a comment on the Frozen rain. Has this phenomena ever been reported in NZ before. It is more a continental northern hemisphere weather type. The parts of NZ where this could occur are inland SI.

I have oberserved frozen rain (ice pellets) in England.
Andy
Posts: 1424
Joined: Tue 27/05/2003 14:15
Location: Alexandra
Has thanked: 131 times
Been thanked: 63 times

Unread post by Andy »

And just a comment on the Frozen rain. Has this phenomena ever been reported in NZ before. It is more a continental northern hemisphere weather type. The parts of NZ where this could occur are inland SI.

I have oberserved frozen rain (ice pellets) in England
Yep it dose happen down here in Central Otago.
Back when i was at high school after a week to 10 days of hoar frost it rain. The air temp was -5 and a rained

We wake up to blue sky and 2-3 inchs of ice covering everthing, there were people ice skating down the main street, school was shut for two days.
Dean.
Posts: 1710
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 20:29
Location: Ashburton
Has thanked: 425 times
Been thanked: 525 times

Unread post by Dean. »

Referring to the thundersnow,yes it was fairly brief,raining and sleeting all morning then around lunchtime a couple of flashes of sheet lightning and thunder followed immediately by the heavy snow.
GraemeWi
Posts: 1012
Joined: Sun 30/03/2003 18:28
Location: Hobsonville Point, Auckland
Has thanked: 36 times
Been thanked: 78 times
Contact:

Unread post by GraemeWi »

How about sleet? I used to work outdoors in the UK and grew to hate the stuff, I'm sure on a couple of occasions I've heard the distinctive sound of it here in Auckland.

Cheers,

G
User avatar
Michael
Posts: 7210
Joined: Thu 27/03/2003 12:04
Location: Rainy Manurewa, Auckland - "City of Gales"
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Unread post by Michael »

We get it sometimes in winter when the wind drops off from the SW here and is going to the SE and as the Cbs start to sit on the eastern ranges
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
Posts: 18488
Joined: Wed 12/03/2003 22:08
Location: Raukapuka Geraldine
Has thanked: 1769 times
Been thanked: 1412 times

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

I admit I am wrong regarding this event a Fizzer as I am picking up sferics as I type. It's now midnight.
I notice there is a large and beautiful cluster of unstable Cb forms in the Tasman Sea moving up the West Coast and also in a semi-circle heading towards Auckland. I also notice that some are sneaking up the Otago Coast as well.
It's still snowing here but very lightly like dandruff, but there is still not much wind, and not much all day, so it makes me wonder why the Media insist of calling this event a "Wintery Blast" !!! Where or have there been strong winds with this event? Evidence of the calmish conditions is shown by the snow settling on the branches of our trees. At 1030pm it was minus 0.1C here with 1.5cm of snow on top of my Stevenson's Screen.

JohnGaul
NZTS
User avatar
Michael
Posts: 7210
Joined: Thu 27/03/2003 12:04
Location: Rainy Manurewa, Auckland - "City of Gales"
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Unread post by Michael »

NZ Thunderstorm Soc wrote:I admit I am wrong regarding this event a Fizzer as I am picking up sferics as I type.so it makes me wonder why the Media insist of calling this event a "Wintery Blast" !!! Where or have there been strong winds with this event? JohnGaul
NZTS
Well they(Media and metservice) are mostly in Wellington and they hardly had any "winter" as such and its such a change for them wheres up here its just the usual winter rain,wind blah blah we get all the time.
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
Posts: 18488
Joined: Wed 12/03/2003 22:08
Location: Raukapuka Geraldine
Has thanked: 1769 times
Been thanked: 1412 times

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Well, I think that Weliington is getting a bit of a BLAST at the moment with the bonus of over 200 lightning strikes according to Trevor McGavin's lightning recorder.

JohnGaul
NZTS
User avatar
Michael
Posts: 7210
Joined: Thu 27/03/2003 12:04
Location: Rainy Manurewa, Auckland - "City of Gales"
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Unread post by Michael »

This high pressure looks like its going to be a fizzer-looks like we may get some Bee Bop(Sunny&windy with quite fast moving cumulus) weather in the afternoon tomorrow and clear overnight Sunday then the forecast of high dominating the weather Mon&Tues) all changed back to a SW for us :( and a temporary southerly in the east.
Even the high itself has moved north over Australia and it probably be centred above Norfolk Island on Tuesday with a piddly 1015Hpa pressure
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
Posts: 18488
Joined: Wed 12/03/2003 22:08
Location: Raukapuka Geraldine
Has thanked: 1769 times
Been thanked: 1412 times

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Yes Micheal, it dosen't look great at all, with another front moving on on monday.Much weaker but it could produce some more cold weather briefly before the next one.

JohnGaul
NZTS
User avatar
Michael
Posts: 7210
Joined: Thu 27/03/2003 12:04
Location: Rainy Manurewa, Auckland - "City of Gales"
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Unread post by Michael »

Next ridge if it can be called that(Perhaps its the cauldren in between the lows) we may get a long 4 hour spell of clear weather for the moon to shine and radiate any warmth in the clear night air as the wind goes NE in readiness for the next depression and week of rain :(
Locked