Northwesterly storm 10-12/08/07

[Lawrence]

Temprature dropping here, presently 4.9c and rain falling at 2mm/hr,wind still gusty and from Southerly direction

[Storm Struck]

Yes John that gust front a reminder of storm season, still nice to see though.
Gust front came through lit up by the city lights with some fresh to strong southerly winds and moderate driving horizontal rain .
Nothing heavy here yet but some bigger drops coming in the mix now.
I must admit it did look good considering we havnt had anything that heavy on radar come u from the south in awhile, even the landcare sattelite looks nice
http://satellite.landcareresearch.co.nz/noaa/
If we were a month into spring there could have been a good thunderstorm along that change, maybe of what is to come if this pattern keeps up .
Cheers
Jason.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Yes Jason. It would of been thundery, (sorry I hate that word but as Paul Mallison told me, it was possibly the best word to describe such an event), if it were spring/summer as the Ne to east, hung in here to the bitter end.
There was a lack of ground heating to trigger off a convectiveness.
Also we had just performed a Wassailing type of Morris Dancing event around our orchard today, so that would of fended off any inclement weather that was likely to happen today here.

JohnGaul
NZTS

[Lawrence]

Can't wait to see what happens this week

[spwill]

Can't wait to see what happens this week
Can't wait to see what happens this week

looks quiet, a good week to visit the Mackenzie for some Skiing.

[Manukau heads obs]

classic hits interviewed a women who had a tree struck by lightning in front of her house yesterday in wattle downs
it split the tree into smitherens and knocked her to the ground and she could only see orange for a bit afterwards!

[Razor]

Weatehr is trying hard to be interesting in Chch today with 5 degrees and showers visible to the west. However I suspect its one of thoise days where the Peninsula breaks up the weather and it leave ChCh in the boring old "rain shadow" that we've seen a few times.

We need a slight wind shift maybe

[southernthrash]

Hi! Welcome to the forum! It's lovely to meet you too.

"Pessimistic"? I take it that getting snow is important to you?

you too.

well it would seem that you don't follow the snow season at all, apart from what the press choose to publish? And no I'm not from ohau, but what do you have against their customers?

Back on topic, snow on mt cargill today. Seem to be a lot of non-believers here...

[Andrew Massie]

Seem to be a lot of non-believers here...

Non-believers? That's a ballsy comment considering the amount of time you've spent here. If you've come here to upset people, you're in the wrong forum.

<Back to weather> Just 3mm rain last night, a few squalls through, but nothing serious.. Great to have a NWer through warming things up for a change!

[03Stormchaser]

About that tree being hit, I was walking thru a pine plantation while out hunting on friday and came a across a tree that was split down the middle. The inside of the tree was completly burnt. Possibly a lightning victim?

[Andrew Massie]

About that tree being hit, I was walking thru a pine plantation while out hunting on friday and came a across a tree that was split down the middle. The inside of the tree was completly burnt. Possibly a lightning victim?

Possibly. The ones i've studied, the energy usually travels in the most conductive pert of the tree (as current takes the path of least resistance), which is usually sap lines or the damp wood immediately inside the bark, blowing the bark off and leaving a track. BUT a lot also are split by the sheer energy involved, so it sounds to me like you're on a winner.

Here's one here: http://www.lhvc.com/web/July04/

[tich]

Nothing much in central Chch so far this morning; just cloudy with the odd trace of moisture and a chilly 5C. But radar shows plenty of shower activity around Canterbury.

[gopolks]

Just another boring day in chch, cloudy and cold.

[Gary Roberts]

well it would seem that you don't follow the snow season at all...

Kind of hard not to follow an area's weather conditions when you live there.

...apart from what the press choose to publish?

The who?

And no I'm not from ohau...

Fair enough. Another skifield then.

...but what do you have against their customers?

Their customers are skiers.

Back on topic

Who took it off topic?

...snow on mt cargill today.

But almost none elsewhere it appears.

Seem to be a lot of non-believers here...

Uh, "non-believers"? What is it we don't believe in? The people here observe the weather and discuss it. We're not here because we're hoping for anything specific to happen. Well, except John Gaul...

[RWood]

John Gaul yearns for drizzle.

I was going to post a "looking back" for August 1960 but couldn't be bothered. It featured a very exciting stationary anticyclone east of Canterbury from about 19th to 31st, plus a few days of September. Quite a number of days with mist, low cloud or drizzle spots over the entire Plains - though some blue dome ones as well (I was there for over a week during the time).

[southernthrash]

Kind of hard not to follow an area's weather conditions when you live there.

Fair enough, so it's dry in the mackenzie, as usual, 'specially the omarama side.

The who?

The Christchurch Press, The Sunday Star Times, love to write articles about there being no snow. When there is.

Fair enough. Another skifield then.

Nope no skifield at all, I just really like snow.

Their customers are skiers.

That's ok, I board. But seriously, what is it against skiers?

Who took it off topic?

Me, that's why I made the point of saying that, courtesy, you know?

But almost none elsewhere it appears.

nowhere being the central otago uplands, Southland hills and ranges, fiordland, and the length of the main divide (to about 1500m north of about the lindis though, it would seem. Lots of it, too, try over 65cm in 48 hours at remarkables, 85cm at TC, and varying amounts everywhere else, as well as a few cm on the ground in Arrowtown this morning. The world isn't limited to what you see out your window.

Uh, "non-believers"? What is it we don't believe in? The people here observe the weather and discuss it. We're not here because we're hoping for anything specific to happen. Well, except John Gaul...

I was simply referring to those who were writing off snow etc out of the NW, the bulk of the snow came from the NW in this system, to about 1300-1400m. Following the SW change lesser amounts have settled to around 300m, although this varies from place to place of course.

As you were.

[03Stormchaser]

Have to agree with that southerthrash to some point. Alot of people on here right off weather events based alone on what they see out the kitchen weather. Even once righting off the event as a 'fizzer' before the southerly change has even come through!

[Razor]

Ah yes but that event you refer to (as a write off I assume ) was indeed a fizzer, as they all have been in ChCh this winter....(well the snow ones anyway)

I think you'll find I linked this to the La Nina phase some months ago and warned there would likely be no snow anywhere near ChCh this year based around previous La Nina conditions

[Gary Roberts]

I don't write-off events as fizzers without good reason. The events being touted as incoming Action Weather looked to be nothing of the sort as far as I could tell (based on many sources of info, not just the view from my windows) and so they proved to be.

I'll get as excited as anybody when it looks like there's a reason to be excited. And, as you know, I'm the first to admit when I've been wrong about weather forecasts, as I was last June. It just so happens that this year I (and many others) called it correctly.

If I wasn't interested in the weather, I wouldn't spend so much time here.

[southernthrash]

I don't write-off events as fizzers without good reason. The events being touted as incoming Action Weather looked to be nothing of the sort as far as I could tell (based on many sources of info, not just the view from my windows) and so they proved to be.

I'll get as excited as anybody when it looks like there's a reason to be excited. And, as you know, I'm the first to admit when I've been wrong about weather forecasts, as I was last June. It just so happens that this year I (and many others) called it correctly.

If I wasn't interested in the weather, I wouldn't spend so much time here.

completely missed the point.

[Gary Roberts]

Fair enough, so it's dry in the mackenzie, as usual, 'specially the omarama side.

Yep, although having said that we got some grapfel (sp?) a few minutes ago. Clear again now though.

The Christchurch Press, The Sunday Star Times, love to write articles about there being no snow. When there is.

I beg to differ. There has been less snow this year than in previous years, nd there was bugger all snow in those years too. I work on mountaintops quite often and I cannot recall a time when there has been so little snow up on them.

On the other hand, we all remember skifields claiming to have great snow when in fact they haven't.

Nope no skifield at all, I just really like snow.

I'm quite fond of it myself, but not to the extent that I will pretend it exists when it doesn't.

That's ok, I board. But seriously, what is it against skiers?

OONCE-OONCE-OONCE-"RAD-WICKED-RAD-WICKED!"-OONCE-OONCE-OONCE-"RAD-WICKED-RAD-WICKED!"-OONCE-OONCE-OONCE... Troyz, Shanez, and the Boyz in their lowered Legacy wih Milo tin exhaust, doing 180 kph through the town and past the school...

Or,

"So I said to Penelope, why don't - TRISTRAM! Stay away from those people! They're wearing *overalls* for God's sake! - Where was I? Oh that's right, I asked Penelope why we don't just get the money from her Uncle - you remember him? He's on the board at Fletchers... - Anyway, I told her that we should just get the money for the new tennis courts from - Oh. My. God! Jemima, don't look. Behind you. There's a woman who looks as if she fell asleep at the end of the 2005 season and she's just woke up still wearing the same ski pants! Honestly, they'll let just *anybody* into this place nowadays! But as I was saying, the new courts..." - Annabelle Forbes-Smythe, on her cellphone just before she blasts away through the town at 180kph in the Porsche Cayenne her dad bought her.

nowhere being the central otago uplands, Southland hills and ranges, fiordland, and the length of the main divide (to about 1500m north of about the lindis though, it would seem. Lots of it, too, try over 65cm in 48 hours at remarkables, 85cm at TC, and varying amounts everywhere else, as well as a few cm on the ground in Arrowtown this morning. The world isn't limited to what you see out your window.

When the reports come from trustworthy sources, rather than skifield operators, I'll start cartwheeling around my office.

I was simply referring to those who were writing off snow etc out of the NW, the bulk of the snow came from the NW in this system, to about 1300-1400m. Following the SW change lesser amounts have settled to around 300m, although this varies from place to place of course.

I believe things (and report them) when I see them. You pray for snow. See the difference?

As you were.

As I was what? Gorgeous? Yep, I am. All women want me. It's a cross I bear.

Yes, guys, I know you're going to delete this post.

[Gary Roberts]

completely missed the point.

Oh yes, that's right: I was being objective, whereas you hate it if other people don't see snow in every cloud as you do.

Weirdo.

[Razor]

Back on topic, well not quite this topic....but something a bit different is happening here in ChCh now. Over the past half hour there appears to have been some significant convection and some very heavy looking (and icy for that matter) showers are in the vicinity. Seem to have popped up from nowhere.

[gopolks]

In my part of town, it just looks like a cloudy miserable cold NE type day.

I cant see it raining anytime soon.

[gopolks]

6.4 degrees and a southerly.

Cloudy although there are blue patches over banks penisula.