High Seas in Hwakes Bay

03Stormchaser · Unread post by **03Stormchaser** » Thu 17/03/2005 19:12

Saw this article first on the news, not looking good for the next 12 hours for Haumoana residents, next high tide is 11 tonight.

Thursday, 17 March 2005
More homes at risk from sea

Bad weather is adding to the danger faced by residents of beach front homes in Haumoana.

Six homes have been evacuated and dozens more are at risk from heavy sea swells threatening the Hawke's Bay coastal community.

Resident Ben Throp says at least another eight houses look likely to be swept away.

Around 30 baches and cottages are also in danger.

He says non-stop rain over the past few days is not helping matters and four-metre high easterly swells have already wiped out sea walls and fences.

Mr Throp says the swells are expected to get bigger as the day progresses.

He says the stretch of coast from Clifton to Haumoana is notorious for being a high risk zone in such conditions.

Ben Throp says more evacuations are likely before high tide at around 11 o'clock this evening

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Thu 17/03/2005 19:36

Yes it's quite rare for the east coast of the NI to get some extreme weather. Usually you think BoP, Wellington, Horowhenua gets the rough weather

03Stormchaser · Unread post by **03Stormchaser** » Thu 17/03/2005 19:42

Foggy Hamilton wrote:Yes it's quite rare for the east coast of the NI to get some extreme weather. Usually you think BoP, Wellington, Horowhenua gets the rough weather

last time this happened there was only 2 years ago, almost too the day!!
I believe it was about the 14-15 of march 2003

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Thu 17/03/2005 21:23

Yes it's quite rare for the east coast of the NI to get some extreme weather. Usually you think BoP, Wellington, Horowhenua gets the rough weather

NI's east coast has had many extreme weather events - remember Bola? It's pretty exposed to southerly and southeasterly storms. I recall seeing massive surf in Napier when I passed through it in 1995 and 1997, both in early June during strong southerly flows. (the latter being a major storm which caused much damage to Mahia and Nuhaka)

RWood · Unread post by **RWood** » Thu 17/03/2005 21:30

Foggy Hamilton wrote:Yes it's quite rare for the east coast of the NI to get some extreme weather. Usually you think BoP, Wellington, Horowhenua gets the rough weather

Not really! Extreme rainfalls are far from rare in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay. I won't bother lining up a list of example events at this point. And as used to be quoted in the old Met Office descriptions of NZ's climate in NZ yearbook and other sources, extreme rainfalls are relatively uncommon in Otago, Southland and Manawatu (to which one could add Wanganui and Horowhenua). That is true notwithstanding the events of Feb 2004. Wellington's wind events are well known, but it is only a medium-level player for rainfall extremes.

Manukau heads obs · Fri 18/03/2005 05:59

i think you put your neck on the chopping block a bit there with that statement foggyhamilton, LOL!

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Fri 18/03/2005 12:05

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Fri 18/03/2005 18:22

There have been heavy swells not just in Hawkes Bay. I went out for a walk on the heads above Sumner late this afternoon, and the surf there was huge! No wonder there were many surfers enjoying the waves.

03Stormchaser · Unread post by **03Stormchaser** » Fri 18/03/2005 18:39

Surf all round nz was quite large recently excluding the west coast, the mount produced some exceptional swells going by what surfs have said

TonyT · Unread post by **TonyT** » Fri 18/03/2005 21:50

http://www.ecan.govt.nz/Our+Environment ... height.htm

Manukau heads obs · Sat 19/03/2005 12:03

with the eggbeater low/high and that fact the high is stretched out width wise, it was a big fetch for the swell with that ENE wind...fetch is also important not just speed on its own....and time...i.e the weather system was like that for a good 3 days....time to build up the big swell

fetch|time|strength

important factors for swell development

Achten · Unread post by **Achten** » Sat 19/03/2005 14:25

Local paper reported up to 6m swells outside Napier Port recorded by the wave bouy.

Manukau heads obs · Sat 19/03/2005 14:31

southerly swells of that size is not all that uncommen on the east coast of the NI
so i guess it was the fact it was an easterly swell of that size that was made it where damage was caused where it normaly would not have been a problem like in a Southerly swell?

tich · Unread post by **tich** » Sat 19/03/2005 15:32

Looking at a map, you'd think that Napier and coasts immediately to the south would be sheltered from southerly swells by Cape Kidnappers. But as I mentioned before, the heavy swells I saw there were in southerly flows. I guess a low out to the east would've given the swells a bit more of a southeasterly component then. Ditto for New Brighton, where southerly storms have resulted in heavy surf, despite Banks Peninsula looking as if it would shelter the coast to the north.

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Sat 19/03/2005 15:50

I think mountain ranges only shelter from rain, not wind where it increases it's speed