Unstable day over the far North

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Wed 09/08/2006 10:24

A fine morning over AK City but I can see towering Cu to the north of the City and distant Cb over Northland.

Manukau heads obs · Wed 09/08/2006 10:31

you read my mind!!
and they are drifting this way (the ones to our NE and E more)

(as they rotate around the low forming to our NW)

ricky · Unread post by **ricky** » Wed 09/08/2006 10:52

Certainly looking quite unstable with some daytime heating, I see there is some more lightning activity starting as a Cb to the east is reaching the Coromandel now..

Manukau heads obs · Wed 09/08/2006 14:21

look, a CB just to the NW of the city.....i had forgoten what one looked liked close up!

Paul Mallinson · Unread post by **Paul Mallinson** » Wed 09/08/2006 15:30

Getting a few reports of a funnel seen over the Pt Chevalier way. Report of funnel to nw from Ald Airport and someone else saw something from the Harbour Bridge.

Have any of you guys heard anything?

Paul

ricky · Unread post by **ricky** » Wed 09/08/2006 15:35

I'm looking at the base of that Cb from Mt eden, and nothing too interesting there now, but fire and police reporting debris around the PT Chev/Gt Nth Rd area from what they describe as a small tornado about 15mins ago..

Paul Mallinson · Unread post by **Paul Mallinson** » Wed 09/08/2006 15:42

Thanks for that Ricky.

I don't think that the environment is very conducive to sig tornado development. Very weak shears aloft. Cells are rather verticle in the light shear environment and have rather short lifetimes. Maybe rapid cell development could support a weak funnel - that' about all I think.

Paul

Manukau heads obs · Wed 09/08/2006 16:33

dang, i would have had a good vantage point, but had to coach junior hockey
there was some punchy cumulus around the auckland area, and there was a bit of a lowering base on it, at around 2:30 when it was over central auckland, but i did not think at that time it was all that significant....that must have intensified...
my web cam movie for the hour over that period does not show all that much....shows a dark based cloud moved NW over the te atatu area, but the sun was on the camera too much
i have saved it here:
http://www.weather-display.com/videolasthour.wmv

there has been differeing wind directions at different heights today (wind shear), with a surface SE but a middle level more easterly...
the cb's have been weakening as they have moved more NW...

the movie does show a plume of smoke over the block house bay area...

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Wed 09/08/2006 16:59

Quite a neat day out there

Weakest of all Cb's to my SW and a lot of mushrooming today being on the edge of the trough zone.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Wed 09/08/2006 17:03

I have been too busy this afternoon to cloud watch.

Did notice some local Towering Cu ( rather weak) out the window, reminded me of a summer sea breeze convergence line. Looked to be some local showers as well.

squid · Unread post by **squid** » Wed 09/08/2006 17:05

well at least the didnt call it a mini tornado

would love to read some repots on it:)

Manukau heads obs · Wed 09/08/2006 18:03

cb out to my WNW and SSW now...fully glaciated...but might be weakening a bit now....
might be some lightning just on full dark?..but nothing on ricky's tracker at the moment....so not promising

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 09/08/2006 18:46

I came along the NW motorway about 1pm and was watching out for funnel clouds. Light E situation with steep lapse rates are very condusive to fair weather funnel clouds around Auckland. Had my head down at work for the rest of the afternoon.

Todays sounding showed ustable lapse rate from surface to about 6500m. But low surface temps of 14C meant there was little in the way of CAPE.
Still it was interesting to see land based towering cu /weak cb today. A sign that spring is here I think.

Manukau heads obs · Wed 09/08/2006 19:55

i must tell myself, if its looks interesting, and its rapidly developing towering CU, then keep an eye on it!....these small funnel clouds can come out of clouds that on first inspection dont look all that impressive!
mother nature has lots of surprises up her sleeves

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Wed 09/08/2006 20:12

Check out that rain radar man.. whoooowee!

Suprising brief heavy shower just thru here.. my boltek has picked up the odd strike in the vicinity.

squid · Unread post by **squid** » Wed 09/08/2006 21:46

anything more on that possible tornado??

GraemeWi · Unread post by **GraemeWi** » Thu 10/08/2006 07:14

It's in the Herald website with a picture of a funnel cloud

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story ... d=10395489

Manukau heads obs · Thu 10/08/2006 08:39

nice

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Thu 10/08/2006 09:17

Wow, a good looking Funnel.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Thu 10/08/2006 13:48

Been a nice day but looks as though it will go Bee Bop now

squid · Unread post by **squid** » Thu 10/08/2006 14:36

ahh nice one cheers for that

Razor · Unread post by **Razor** » Sat 12/08/2006 11:15

On Great Barrier Island on Wednesday we copped cold rain all day Wednesday that became a heavy deluge in the evening, cleared sometime in the small hours of Thursday. A lot of flooding on top of the 170mm they had already received on Sunday.

Talking to the locals there is a GBI pattern that exists nowhere else and their forecasts are usually completely different to Coromandel and Northland.

A fascinating microclimate

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Sat 12/08/2006 17:41

Talking to the locals there is a GBI pattern that exists nowhere else and their forecasts are usually completely different to Coromandel and Northland.

Great Barrier Island shares it's forecast (MS) with Auckland, I think the Island is part of Auckland City.

With out looking at records I'm picking it's weather /climate is very similar to that of the Bay of Islands, Northland.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Sat 12/08/2006 18:02

Great Barrier Island is wetter than Northland/Auckland.

RWood · Unread post by **RWood** » Sat 12/08/2006 18:45

Mean rainfall at Port Fitzroy is about 1900mm - wetter than most of Auckland/Northland, but in Northland in particular there are equal or wetter places - even near Whangarei (Glenbervie Forest matches it) - eg Broadwood 1961-1990 average was 2134 mm).

[Looking at older records some places in central Northland and towards Waipoua from there were up to 2500mm]