Spring like pattern for the next 4-5days!!!

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Coupla rumbles here at West Melton around 2pm. Unstable skies all around. Nothing precip wize here. Photos later.

JohnGaul
NZTS

[gllitz]

Round #2 on its way up the coast now, by the looks of the ever-darkening skies to the SW and by the radar...

[TonyT]

By the looks of the radar, TonyT and folks in Amberley are about to get a good dumping....Tony?

No hail or thunder here - a few very brief showers, big drops, but only really light showers. Wind has been SW here since mid morning.

[gllitz]

Christchurch is not looking very spring-like come next MON/TUES...looks like this s/be another thread...the models have changed yet AGAIN!!...This time THK levels down to 522/3?
Hmmmmm

[TonyT]

I spoke too soon, thunder and lightning to the west now, and what looks like hail shafts approaching from the southwest.

[melja]

3 or 4 flashes here in rangiora and a bit of rain but most of it looks to be up the mt gray area.

[Storm Struck]

I was out at Rolleston working and I watched the first cell move across towering very nicly as it headed E-SE.
But another area in behind of which I couldnt see the top of the cloud was one which i didnt expect to turn thundery, as I was watching the other cell to the west.
However in the space of about 20 minutes the skies got dark towards the SW very quickly.
Before long I caught a bolt of lightning out of the corner of my eye an IC shot across the sky towards the port hills. Heard another 3-4 good rumbles after that but no more lightning viewed.
As I headed home at about 5pm the skies went really dark again a rather threatning look to them with mamatus forms swirling upper level and nice shafts coming down.
Would have then been home about 10 minutes to look out the window towards the west to see a CG come down very nice indeed BOOOM .
I think there were atleast 4 cells today that I seen which looked thundery or were.
Got some pics of two of the cells I will put up later, what a start to well... not even pre storm season .
I wonder what Saturdays chances are .
Cheers
Jason.

[mikestormchaser]

Yes well... what a surprise, i didn't actually think anything would happen today, i was inside and never saw it coming but got dark at work, and all of a sudden it pored down with rain and then hail, id say the size of 10mm max.
Got a little distracted from my job for a few minutes there haha. Yeah certainly good signs for a good storm season coming!

cheers

[Storm Struck]

Here go the two pics i took today from Rolleston, at a place called Izone its an industrial area.
Actually saturday might be abit too NW for any thunder darn ohh well I am happy with todays show .
Next week looks like a big system some big rainfall totals there .
Cheers
Jason.

[David]

Showers moving up from the south towards Auckland now. Should be spring like for you guys down there tomorrow -TV weather forecast sunshine and 18C for Canterbury , just strong NW

Looks like some nice cbs down there today - unusual when Auckland gets the sunshine and Canty gets the rain

[NZstorm]

Invercargill midday sounding has 500mb temp at -31.3C, hence some thundery cb's over SI today. Thanks for the photos Jason.

[David]

Invercargill midday sounding has 500mb temp at -31.3C

Where do you find these types of data?
Metservice page have upper temperature data but its all just coded numbers?

[RWood]

Just clouded up here mid-afternoon after a lovely morning. Should end up with about 175 hrs sun for August, a very good total.

[Michael]

That will just be a flick and be back to fine again for you not a week of damp drizzly S gales like the 70s and 80s

Just clouded up here mid-afternoon after a lovely morning. Should end up with about 175 hrs sun for August, a very good total.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Heres a shot of the cloud to the ENE of here just before the first clap of thunder at 2pm.

JohnGaul
NZTS

[Michael]

Another week of SW then hopefully this below but it will change as they showed this earlier to happen

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

This is the cloud form around 5pm when the southerly finnaly came through

[David]

great photo ...very dark cloud, would have turned out well for you if it had been summer

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

...and later


JohnGaul
NZTS

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Cloud

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Southerly change 5pm
Well later on after it cleared up here. This view looking north.

August 2007 095 (Small).jpg

[Willoughby]

Wow... bit bolt of lightning/thunder here!

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Wow... bit bolt of lightning/thunder here!

That must be very unusual for Hamilton?

JohnGaul
NZTS

[Storm Struck]

That first pic John, as you can see its very simular to mine except from a different angle.
The lit up yellow CB in front is seperate from the darker one which produced the brief thunderstorm this afternoon. I would imagine the one in front was active at the time as well.
That gust front type looking cloud didnt bring any lower level windchange at the time so must have been upper level, it wasnt until later when the moderate-heavy falls of rain came down it turned southerly and more thunder could be heard here .
Cheers
Jason.

[David]

Wow... bit bolt of lightning/thunder here!

Akl storm tracker hasn't picked up any strikes in the Waikato

That must be very unusual for Hamilton?

This coming from a cantabrian!!!
The thing is, the more often you get it the more amazed you are the next time you get it