Winds gusting to hurricane force?

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

i dont see whats so wrong with the expresion myself
maybe the problem is, is that canterbury does not get thundery showers
(instead you get descrete thunderstorms that develop from nothing)

True.
Why not, then, say 'Lightning Showers' - showers that 'thunder down' and move very quickly across ?

JohnGaul
NZTS

[Nev]

Yes, I can't see what the problem is with 'thundery showers is'?

It's a term used by meteorologists worldwide in their forecasts when text may be limited to a strict word count. It simply means 'Showers, some heavy with the risk of a few embedded thunderstorms'.

I think it's also a very apt description of what we've had here lately, i.e. the odd heavy shower with perhaps only one clap of thunder.

Why not, then, say 'Lightning Showers' - showers that 'thunder down' and move very quickly across ?

Because showers are just that - rain of a short duration that usually begins and ends suddenly.
May as well just say 'mini-thunderstorms' John

[Manukau heads obs]

I think the problem is canty doesnt get the passing thunderstorm showers type weather that we get in the NI or west coast of the SI...so maybe John has not experienced the condition much and that is why he does not like the term?

[RWood]

Where I live, early this morning there was one short heavy shower and one clap of thunder. Pretty much in the category Nev describes.

[NZstorm]

I think the term 'thundery shower' is not ideal as a forecast as any cb capable of producing thunder is strong convection and could dump more than what we think of as a shower. 'Thundery downpour' might be better but the term 'thunderstorm' is ideal. I'm not sure whether the Met Service use the term thundery shower anymore, they used to.

[spwill]

'thundery shower'

like this term, works well for Auckland to discribe the weak thunderstorm activity we get here.

[David]

I'm not sure whether the Met Service use the term thundery shower anymore, they used to.

From Metservice NZ brief forecast updated 25mins ago:

Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty:
Showers, a few heavy and thundery.

[NZstorm]

In Australia they seem to use the term 'storm' for thunderstorm activity. They do a bit in USA as well.

[Michael]

They (showers) thunder down.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

They (showers) thunder down.

Yes. That's the aspect to which I refer to as 'thundery showers' as in a very heavy fall.
You are probably right there Brian as here in Canty we don't experience, or if so, very rarely, although recently, there have been the odd ocasion when a thunderclap has been heard in a fall of rain.

JohnGaul
NZTS

[Nev]

I see the term 'weather-bomb' has been used by 'Stuff' three days in a row now ...

'Rain, snow and thunder keep on coming' - The Dominion Post
Saturday, 16 August 2008 - By Kay Blundell
A weather bomb has pelted Porirua with hail the size of marbles and knocked out a Radio New Zealand transmitter at Titahi Bay. ...

'Weather causing trouble for drivers' - The Dominion Post
Friday, 15 August 2008 - Kay Blundell and Ben Fawkes
A north-westerly weather bomb has brought hail the size of marbles to parts of Wellington and Kapiti - with more thunderstorms and heavy showers expected today. ...

'Rain washes out lightweight rowing semi' - The Dominion Post
Thursday, 14 August 2008 - By Daniel Gilhooly
[Photo Caption] FORCED TO WAIT: A weather bomb has postponed New Zealand lightweight double scullers Storm Uru and Peter Taylor's rowing semifinal in Beijing. ...

[Manukau heads obs]

argggh!
whats next!
not good
but , not much you can do about it

[Nev]

but , not much you can do about it

Well yes there is actually. If a enough members of this forum (particularly professionals) took the time to write to 'Stuff' and politely pointed out exactly what a meteorological 'bomb' is, then perhaps they would desist.

[TonyT]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4661863a3600.html

[Nev]

Not mini at all
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4661863a3600.html

Same NZPA story I posted on the 'Low to cross country early week' thread.

But yes, great not to see the 'm-word'

[RWood]

I had a go at "Stuff", citing the reporters mentioned in this thread, but take no credit for what is probably a fluke (no m-word in the above).

[Paul Mallinson]

Yes, I can't see what the problem is with 'thundery showers is'?

It's a term used by meteorologists worldwide in their forecasts when text may be limited to a strict word count. It simply means 'Showers, some heavy with the risk of a few embedded thunderstorms'...

I think Nev is on to it here.
We make a judgement as to when to use the phrase thundery showers. It is usually used when fast moving showers, some of which may be thundery, deliver brief heavy showers and for which there are unlikely to be any serious consequences (apart from an unfortunate hit from lightning). We also use it in forecasts that are already pretty wordy, but only if the situation is how I have just explained.
The full term 'thunderstorm' is used when we want to place more emphasis on a potentially more serious situation. I think using the word in full does convey a more serious meaning. Then, if we think the situation warrants more emphasis, we add terms like 'locally heavy rain' or 'downpours' or 'torrential rain' (for slow moving situations) 'with large hail' or 'with strong wind gusts to XXkph" etc.

As NZstorm mentioned, any thunderstorm does denote deep instability and has the potential for say, heavy rainfall (and other weather), but what is also important is its speed of movement. Storms with high speeds deliver only brief heavy rainfall but usually produce big wind gusts, when the speed is low the rainfall over an area can be high and the wind gusts often less severe.

Paul

[Nev]

Thanks for the clarification Paul.

On another note, apparently the NZ Herald seems to think rainfall is measured in millilitres ...

'No dry weekends since May and trend ongoing' - NZ Herald
10:03AM Friday August 22, 2008
...MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt said a dry weekend at this time of year would be asking a lot. He said Auckland had experienced dry Saturdays and Sundays since May but not two dry weekend days in a row.
...He said Aucklanders had enjoyed a relatively dry week with only 14ml of rain being recorded. "That's not too bad". ... He said although there had been a lot of wet weekends, some of them had only seen as little as 4ml, 0.2 and 0.6ml of rain. ...

[TonyT]

Here we go again:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4701860a19753.html

[Nev]

Hmm... anonymous too.

Although to be fair, this morning's warning from MetService could give rise to some confussion...

...The strong northwest flow ahead of the front is also expected to bring a period of severe gales to eastern areas from Wairarapa and Wellington down to Southland. Gales are expected to reach 120 km/h in exposed places.

(yesterday's stories all said "Gusts up to 120kmh")