Another Tornado in Central Otago?

[Nev]

Patrons flee as tornado 'smokes' into hotel
Friday, 09 January 2009 - By EVAN HARDING - The Southland Times

Shocked patrons of a Central Otago pub fled from the bar when a tornado ripped off the roof and dumped it onto nearby power lines, vehicles and farm paddocks yesterday.

Bannockburn Hotel publican David Gillespie said he saw the mini tornado come charging towards the pub from his office window at 2.45pm. "It smoked into the pub and there was a hooer of a bang." Iron and timber went flying off the pub's roof and smashed into nearby power lines, causing a loud explosion, while roofing iron also landed on two vehicles parked nearby. Roofing materials and timber purlins, which support the rafters, were scattered in nearby paddocks, he said. "It ripped a quarter of the roof off pretty much right above the bar area. We had about 25 customers and no-one was hurt so that was the best thing." Most fled out the back entrance to avoid the power lines, pub staff said. A second tornado followed the mini tornado but caused little damage, they said.

Invercargill woman Karen Pasco said she watched the mini tornado hit the hotel from a nearby cafe in Bannockburn, 8km south of Cromwell. "We had just ordered our lunch and a piece of roof and debris came flying off the pub and started spinning around. It hit the power line and there there was a great big arc. "We had parked near the pub a few minutes before we could have worn it," she said.

Fire crews, police and Delta Utilities staff were soon on the scene and Bannockburn Rd was closed to traffic while the power lines were repaired. Delta Utilities system control manager Graeme Johnson said power was cut to 450 customers in the Bannockburn and Ripponvale area but the lines were fixed and power restored in about 20 minutes.

Constable Maude O'Connell, of Cromwell, said wind had been ripping through the area before the tornado. It was fortunate a fire didn't start when the power lines arced, or it would have spread quickly, she said. Bannockburn Rd was closed to traffic while the lines were fixed, with traffic being detoured around nearby paddocks.

Mr Gillespie said a builder patched up his roof to keep the rain out of the bar later in the afternoon. "We are up and going again. We have got cold beer on tap so it's all good."

© Fairfax New Zealand Limited

[Lacertae]

Sounds almost like a downburst or a microburst more than a tornado don't you think ? Little damages apart from the surroundings of the bar, no mention of a thunderstorm overhead, no mention of the shape of the tornado nor of any flying debris, etc ...
I am not saying it wasn't a tornado but I think more damages would be reported if it was a "true" tornado. No ?
And what about the second tornado ?

[Nev]

Yes, going by the comments below, these sound more like willie-willies (hence the '?').

Mini tornados lift iron from roof of Bannockburn Hotel
By Rosie Manins on Fri, 9 Jan 2009
...A large cloud of dust was seen moving towards the hotel about 2.45pm, after which the miniature tornados whipped through the area. Publican Dave Gillespie said he and wife Dawn were having lunch at the back of the hotel when they heard glass bottles breaking and saw two small tornados approach from the northwest and hit the building...
- Otago Daily Times

I know there were T-storms around Southland yesterday, but I suspect it was relatively dry around Cromwell. Anyone got any data for the Cromwell/Clyde area yesterday arvo?

[Lacertae]

I know about the NIWA weather data archives, but what about MetService ? Do they have the same sort of thing ?

[spwill]

Will be a NW wind Gust in fine weather with high cloud

[gllitz]

Sounds more like "gustnado" to me.....

[Vertigo]

more of those damned mini tornadoes!

[NZstorm]

They can get devils in Central Otago too. The last place in the world you would expect to see a tornado.

[Manukau heads obs]

so now they are calling a dust devil a tornado in the news media?

[Lacertae]

Wouldn't be the first time I reckon ... may be hard for people not interested in weather phenomenons to make the distinction between a tornado and a burst on the moment ...
And I don't think a devil would do so much damage !

[Philip Duncan]

so now they are calling a dust devil a tornado in the news media?

I think it was a mini-dust devil

[jamie]

if the media are calling what sounds like a willy willy/dust devil/gustnado or possibly a microburst/downburst, what ever you want to call it, a tornado, i have one thing to say... well done media

[Manukau heads obs]

dust devils have been known to lift iron off roofs before alright

[Lacertae]

Sorry, the only dust devils caught on tape I saw on the net were harmless ... thought it was some sort of a rule ... my mistake !

[Andrew Massie]

I saw a dust devil on a beautiful Norwest day when coming in to Tekapo. Too slow with the camera, though... There's this one I think we've spoken about before:

[03Stormchaser]

I saw a "water devil" in the sounds last week. If there is such a thing, prob around 20-30m in height.

[mikestormchaser]

To me it sounds like dust devil or microburst whatever you want to call it, but if there is no thunderstorm around how can you call it a proper tornado?
Ha a mini dust devil, mini microburst.

[Manukau heads obs]

it wont be a microburst
as they are associated wtih thunderstorms
it will be a dust devil (they happen on hot days)

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

So what's the verdict, Forum members??
Shall we have a vote on this?

I say "Dust Devil"

What do others say?

JohnGaul
NZThS

[Tornado Tim]

Id say a gustnado or in other words cold funnel.
Since they are not associated with a thunderstorm and relatively weak but stronger than dust devil.
I wouldn't think that a dust devil would cause damage like lift a roof off.

[NZstorm]

Maybe it was an 'eddy vortex' in the NW flow.

[mikestormchaser]

ill say dust devil

[spwill]

So what's the verdict, Forum members??

A North West wind gust dropping onto the valley floor on a warm day is very typical of that part of the world. How many people have seen a large damaging dust devil in Central Otago I have never seen a small one there though I'm sure they will occur with the dry heated land surface. I recall in Arizona USA seeing dozens of Dust devils every day, some rising high into the sky and lasting atleast 10mins.

I say Wind Gust/ gustnado effect.

[Philip Duncan]

A "Mini dust devil that gusted to hurricane force"!! Sorry...I'm like a kid running his finger along the fence with the angry dog behind it!!

[Manukau heads obs]

they can get surprisingly strong
I have seen half a hay paddock lifted 50 feet into the air (the hay) before
also it was only sheets of iron...which may have easily been sucked off the roof if not nailed down all that well or old, etc etc