Monday 12th: Severe Gales, Snow and Storms

TonyT · Unread post by **TonyT** » Mon 12/06/2006 20:41

GFS says it was 850T-3.7 and THK=540 at midday. both values which shouldnt lead to snow to sea level. Forecast values for 6am Tuesday are 850T=-7 THK=522, both of which are precisely what you want to see for snow to sea level. Assuming there are any showers left at that time of course.

Manukau heads obs · Mon 12/06/2006 20:48

it was a warm advection snow machine....relatively warm and relatively moist air aloft, cold air near the surface layers (caused by the rapidly dropping barometer), was it not?

03Stormchaser · Unread post by **03Stormchaser** » Mon 12/06/2006 21:01

A NW the day before a system like that, makes for snow to fall to low levels

Janos · Unread post by **Janos** » Mon 12/06/2006 21:38

Hi all...new to this forum but it is a subject of great interest to me.
Sadly here in Dunedin all we had was a overcast cold day.
Currently it is 4.3deg with light rain falling.
Fingers crossed.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Mon 12/06/2006 21:39

When the radio stations went off ,it only left the Hamilton ones so listened to 1ZH (Newstalk zb) as all the FM ones were off the air except for a chinese one on 95.8 and on AM radio Live was on about stars in their eyes hence listening to Hamilton but Apna and Southern star were still on but as if nothing happened

NZ Thunderstorm Soc · Mon 12/06/2006 21:39

I've ignored much of the earlier recent postings on this as I thought it may have something to do with the Auckland power outage...

Anyway I was earlier aware of a possibly colder air outbreak this WE, compared to last WE.
Mainly because of possible anticyclone positionings and colder air movements over the southern oceans. Getting towards today's events, the situation seemed to change to lessen the colder event happening, but the enhancement of an ECL low off the coast of Eastern Australia, ehanced the event of things happening with a warm, moist convective air system on it's northern side followed by colder air coming in from the south.
I didn't really expect snow to fall to low levels but then looking at last night's temperatures to the south of ChCh around midnight, I noticed that Oamaru and Timaru were about 4C with rain falling and a cold southerly blowing , where here it was a mild westerly, which had sprang up, and 13C
When I got up for a "Jimmy Riddle" at 1:30am it had come onto rain. I noticed that it was calm and it seemed a bit cooler to when I went off to bed at 11:30pm. When I woke up abot 7am it was quiet and I thought to myself, "I bet there is Snow outside". I went back to sleep and about an hour later, I get up and sure enough, there was snow on the ground and it was snowing. It was 0.5C at 9am when I got my readings and the rain gauge was covered with snow. Seeing I have this week off work, I quickly went back to bed again until 11am

After lunch we ventured out to West Melton to check the horses.
22cm of snow out there compared to the 3.5cm here in Somerfield.
Some photos

JohnGaul
NZTS

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Mon 12/06/2006 21:45

Quite a nice large area of trough is lurking.. something further to watch for us North Islanders

Flutterbye · Unread post by **Flutterbye** » Mon 12/06/2006 21:47

~sigh~ lovely shot John. Wish something like that happened here. ~sigh~

Cameo1 · Unread post by **Cameo1** » Mon 12/06/2006 22:17

It's a very still, warm and humid night here. Not a hint of a breeze. We had a light shower and then back to stillness.

Very calming after todays nonsense.

Manukau heads obs · Mon 12/06/2006 22:24

still blowing 20 to 30 knots out here on the coast cameo1.....
it often dies off further inland in the winter nights....

03Stormchaser · Unread post by **03Stormchaser** » Mon 12/06/2006 22:28

Janos wrote:Hi all...new to this forum but it is a subject of great interest to me.
Sadly here in Dunedin all we had was a overcast cold day.
Currently it is 4.3deg with light rain falling.
Fingers crossed.

Welcome Janos!

Cameo1 · Unread post by **Cameo1** » Mon 12/06/2006 22:32

Manukau heads observer wrote:still blowing 20 to 30 knots out here on the coast cameo1.....
it often dies off further inland in the winter nights....

Wow

thats interesting to note. How did your excursion go today?

Cameo1 · Unread post by **Cameo1** » Mon 12/06/2006 22:34

Janos wrote:Hi all...new to this forum but it is a subject of great interest to me.
Sadly here in Dunedin all we had was a overcast cold day.
Currently it is 4.3deg with light rain falling.
Fingers crossed.

Hi Janos

, welcome on in

NZ Thunderstorm Soc · Mon 12/06/2006 22:51

Hi Janos, good to have another Dunedinite on the forum

This forum can be alive sometimes and some contributers can come up with very many corny jokes.

Hope you will stay.

JohnGaul
NZTS

Storm Struck · Unread post by **Storm Struck** » Mon 12/06/2006 22:59

Unjumble Janos name and it's mine Jason

.
Yes good to see another dunner on the forum.
Cheers
Jason.

Flutterbye · Unread post by **Flutterbye** » Mon 12/06/2006 22:59

Hi Janos

Welcome - and some of the corniest come from JohnGaul

joecam · Unread post by **joecam** » Mon 12/06/2006 22:59

This is what the Bealey Road (Between Christchurch and Hororata) looked like at 10:00pm on monday Night. Taken with a Nikon D10 with a 30 sec exposure using the full moon on the snow. Lovely clear sky and all the snow has turned into hard ice. Made "interesting" driving home.

Flutterbye · Unread post by **Flutterbye** » Mon 12/06/2006 23:02

Great shots joecam

Storm Struck · Unread post by **Storm Struck** » Mon 12/06/2006 23:08

Yes great shots there indeed

I am sure you would love to come along to our meeting's joe you would have some very interesting footage id imagine

Cheers
Jason.

NZ Thunderstorm Soc · Mon 12/06/2006 23:13

Good shots there, Joe.
I like the stars in your last photo.

JohnGaul
NZTS

NZ Thunderstorm Soc · Mon 12/06/2006 23:20

Jasestrm wrote:Yes great shots there indeed
I am sure you would love to come along to our meeting's joe you would have some very interesting footage id imagine
Cheers
Jason.

Just thinking the same thing, Jason
Maybe a meeting is long overdue?????

JohnGaul
NZTS

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Tue 13/06/2006 00:00

Wait for the SWer its just around the corner

Cameo1 wrote:It's a very still, warm and humid night here. Not a hint of a breeze. We had a light shower and then back to stillness. Very calming after todays nonsense.

squid · Unread post by **squid** » Tue 13/06/2006 00:18

very nice pics and here is michael

Cameo1 · Unread post by **Cameo1** » Tue 13/06/2006 06:40

woken by a loud thunder clap at 6:31am. An interesting 6am radar pic

Manukau heads obs · Tue 13/06/2006 06:41

6:30am, the whole house woken by thudner that sounded like a shot gun was fired inside the house!
(less than 1 second after the bright flash of lightning!)
cold air makes really loud thunder!
one way to get the wife to leap into your arms in bed....