West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

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Storm Struck
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West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by Storm Struck »

Looks like the west coast is going to get a good drenching overnight tonight and into tomorrow morning.
Could be some rather big totals with a large warm front moving down from the North colliding with some cold fronts moving up from a deep low in the far Tasman ocean.
Also the High is only departing at a slow rate which will also help fuel more moisture on the coast.
Some places will have to watch those small rivers or creeks for sure, and some good thunderstorms to boot too.
Just wondering how significant the spillover will be here, as there could well be some embedded thunderstorms especailly as far east and the foothills perhaps :-k .
certainly is a strong system, possibly the strongest since about Late November.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by NZstorm »

The front doesn't look much on the satellite imagery today but we know the moisture is there. If some instability develops then the rain will be real heavy.

Looks like Auckland is in for a spell of muggy weather early week with drizzly rain. We should see dewpoints of 20C.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Yeah, could be a lot of rain but unfortunately surface barometric pressures will not be low enough to enhance any action weather, even with the SW or more southerly change later tomorrow, sadly :(

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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Interesting blob off the Aussie coast today on the MetService sattellite pix :)

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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by David »

I see Brisbane recorded 34mm in half an hour today. Really is some action weather across there, but too much rain.

Interesting my brother just back from 10 days in Stratford, Taranaki, and not a single drop of rain...quite lucky really as this site gets >2000mm rain per year and some months >400mm (18 months in the period 1893 to 1987). Rained on 26th Dec, he got there 27th, he left today and now its supposed to rain tomorrow!! :o

I've changed my mind about our front on the way, models seem to be making more of it now, looks to give some proper rain at this stage, hopefully we can rely on it :)
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by Storm Struck »

I was surprised to hear Jim talking about squally showers and thunder with the SW change tomorrow night, I dont think there is enough omph.
What I am focused on is how significant the spillover will be, especailly with up to 100mm within 10km east of the divide could well see some embedded thunderstorms as far east as about the Foothills.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by NZstorm »

I dont think there is enough omph.
Yes, too warm upstairs for E coast thunder.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

NZstorm wrote:
Yes, too warm upstairs for E coast thunder.
Yes, upstairs too warm and barometer not low enough,sadly. :(
Too La Ninaish for thunderstorms to happen in Canterbury or even along the Alps :cry:
However the rain event does look likely.

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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by tich »

Looking out of the plane late this morning, the Waimakariri doesn't look high at all. (yet)
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by Storm Struck »

Up to 28C here under high cloud and slight glimpses of the sun, just imagine how hot it would be if the sun was out :shock: .
Light brief rain here this morning too jst enough to register 1mm in the gauge and spots of rain followed throughout most of the day.
Change is on its way up not sure what it will bring, but looks like the farmers will be happy because overnight and into tomorrow morning there should be some welcome rain.
Especailly from mid-North Canterbury.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by mikestormchaser »

yes 28C recorded 4mm of rain this way jasestrm
been more humid in chch today then anything though! and A beautiful night atm, very humid!
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by melja »

Arthurs pass has only had 38mm of rain up to 6pm [-( nothing like the drenching they said it would be [-X
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by mikestormchaser »

current temp is 26C and dew point in this area of chch, is 19.2C!!!!! and i can feel it alright!
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by Ryan Thomas »

I'm proberly a few KMS away from you at the most Tornadoman18 and it doesn't feel like that hah.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by Storm Struck »

Abit of instability out there in the past hour or so, just had a shower of rain under 25C heat and humidity must be right up there phew its tropical out :) :) .
Good old straight cold Southerly coming up the island with a band of showers, looks rather dark inland from here with some actual CU tops peaking through high up.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by Weather Watcher »

A small thunderstorm near Oamaru earlier this evening.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by joecam »

I was just flying my plane at Wigram ChCh practising forced landings taking off into a mild 030 degree wind when within 30secs I was caught in a wind change happened fast.It was like being in a washing machine. Ended up landing with a tail wind (usually a no no) 2/3rds down the runway! The current wind conditions on the ground are 25knots Gusting 38 knots! Not a bad little front. Although its still quite humid with a marginal drop in Temp.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by David »

melja wrote:Arthurs pass has only had 38mm of rain up to 6pm [-( nothing like the drenching they said it would be [-X
Yes that may be so, but Westport has had 103mm today (Westport Weather)
Colliers Creek at 143mm for the day,
Cropp River at 186mm for the day,
And Waiho at 254mm for the day!
I think that's a drenching in anyone's books!

And I see now that the southerly change moving through the Christchurch area has caused a very quick drop in temperature there, been quite a few occurrences of that this summer.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by Storm Struck »

That is the strongest southerly we have had in along time, these are the southerlies in summer we have been missing.
Gusting over 55kmh atleast here and temperature down to 16C and still falling.
Red dot about the inland north cantebury foothills as of 8pm storm perhaps there :-k .
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by melja »

David wrote:
melja wrote:Arthurs pass has only had 38mm of rain up to 6pm [-( nothing like the drenching they said it would be [-X
Yes that may be so, but Westport has had 103mm today (Westport Weather)
Colliers Creek at 143mm for the day,
Cropp River at 186mm for the day,
And Waiho at 254mm for the day!
I think that's a drenching in anyone's books!

And I see now that the southerly change moving through the Christchurch area has caused a very quick drop in temperature there, been quite a few occurrences of that this summer.

well those totals arnt all that unusual for that area and i was just talking about the alpine ranges were they are saying 180mm -220mm
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by spwill »

That is the strongest southerly we have had in along time, these are the southerlies in summer we have been missing.
Gusting over 55kmh
The very warm land will help pull the cool southerly air in near the change
And I see now that the southerly change moving through the Christchurch area has caused a very quick drop in temperature there, been quite a few occurrences of that this summer.
Yes David but normal weather for Chch, occurs through out the year down there.
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by Pelorus Pete »

Met Office have been issuing heavy rain warnings for us since early Sunday. Has not eventuated into much at all so far. :-k
7mm since yesterday morning – just drizzle off and on.
Low of 19.2 for last night :oops:
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by Razor »

melja wrote:Arthurs pass has only had 38mm of rain up to 6pm [-( nothing like the drenching they said it would be [-X
Arthurs Pass village, although mountainous, is a little bit to the east of the main divide and having spent a lot of time up there I know in many rain events the intensity gradient is so pronounced that you go the 4km up the road to the top of the hill(on the Main Divide) and the rain can be much much more intense than in the village. And then you go 8km further dow the road to the Bealy and it can be sunshine in the same event.

Thnats why you will see the following figures on the west coast side for yesterday
http://www.wcrc.govt.nz/river_level_rai ... ummary.htm

but lesser amounts at Arthurs Pass village as shown here http://www.softrock.co.nz/mg/apmc.php?page=6
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by RWood »

Interesting - the Arthurs Pass records from NIWA show a 30-year average of 4559 mm, which is still a pretty high value. Altitude 738m from memory. Would that altitude be higher than the village? I suspect not, so the value 4km further up the road would be even higher if that's the case. :-k
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Re: West coast drenching, 7th Jan!!!

Unread post by melja »

Razor wrote:
melja wrote:Arthurs pass has only had 38mm of rain up to 6pm [-( nothing like the drenching they said it would be [-X
Arthurs Pass village, although mountainous, is a little bit to the east of the main divide and having spent a lot of time up there I know in many rain events the intensity gradient is so pronounced that you go the 4km up the road to the top of the hill(on the Main Divide) and the rain can be much much more intense than in the village. And then you go 8km further dow the road to the Bealy and it can be sunshine in the same event.

Thnats why you will see the following figures on the west coast side for yesterday
http://www.wcrc.govt.nz/river_level_rai ... ummary.htm

but lesser amounts at Arthurs Pass village as shown here http://www.softrock.co.nz/mg/apmc.php?page=6
I know our family has a house up there but the rain warnings were to 10km east of the divide thats why its issued for the canterbury river head waters.
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