NZ Weather Forum

After 2 days of wind the weather has finally moderate, Our immediate area escaped most of the severe wind but it still was strong.

Severe winds easing in southeast
Brett Dutschke, Wed 16:55 EST

A strong high stationed over NZ combined with a deep low south of Australia, causing severe winds over TAS, VIC, SA and NSW in the last day or so. A front linked to the low helped generate the strongest winds in over 3 years in many locations, including suburbs of Adelaide. These winds caused widespread damage over inland areas and also very large seas and swells. Mt Hotham registered a wind gust of 107 knots (198 km/h) at about midnight Tuesday night, which looks like being the strongest gust ever recorded in VIC. On Wednesday evening the strongest winds will be in TAS, where gusts over 100 km/h are possible.

The high over NZ is blocking the low and causing it to slip southeast resulting in an easing of winds over southeast Australia. Numerous wind warnings were been issued for the event and are gradually being downgraded and dropped due to the low slipping away. On Thursday, just a few strong wind warnings for coastal waters will be in place.

107 knots is a very respectiable speed
getting up to Hurricane Katrinas speeds

what is the altitude where that was recorded?

Manukau heads observer wrote: what is the altitude where that was recorded?

1849m.. So that can be expected at that height
Australians like to stick AWS's on the top of it's biggest mountains (Buller, Hotham, Thredbo, Mt Wellington to name a few)

I can't imagine what kind of wind speeds could be recorded on top of Mt Cook/Ruapehu!
Is Mt Kaukau in Wellington NZ's only real mountain AWS?

Australians like to stick AWS's on the top of it's biggest mountains (Buller, Hotham, Thredbo, Mt Wellington to name a few)

Aussie mountaintops are generally alot easier to access than NZ ones. They often (even Kosciusko [sp?]) have road access even to their summits.

Foggy Hamilton wrote:I can't imagine what kind of wind speeds could be recorded on top of Mt Cook/Ruapehu!

I can and I'm bloody glad I'm not up there when they're blowing!

Is Mt Kaukau in Wellington NZ's only real mountain AWS?

No. The Benmore Peak stations are at 1,894m. They just aren't online yet...still...

the castle point station is on a coast hill top...but not all that high altitude...
am i correct?
(they sometimes get 75 knot 10 minute average speeds there in big lee trough situations)