Complex Trough and Heavy Snow Event - 2nd-6th Oct

[NZstorm]

I'm down in the central North Island for a last taste of winter. Photo taken of rural Ohakune this morning where between 5-15cm have fallen. Quite deep in some places. I tried to drive through to Waiouru but the road was blocked by trucks fixing broken power lines and the guy said the road was closed. I might have another drive in that direction.

[Manukau heads obs]

still only 7c here at 11:30am, and rain has set in again, with a SSE wind
very wintry picture that...but its well into spring instead!

[spwill]

Good snow photo NZstorm.
A wintry blast for Auckland also, currently only 8C here with rain.

[Nev]

there was a new thread started, but Nev decided that was not a good idea
so, yes, this is a big event alright

Why on earth does this happen all the time, shifting threads, deleting them, and yet when it comes to archive time we cant look back on it because we wont know what the thread name was called.
Just a note to the mod's (this issue was discussed at the weather meet): If a mod thinks about shifting an entire thread or a post can we please get a PM before you carry out the work so we can explain ourselves why the post is where it is.
I am not dissing the mods, It would just be nice if we got some warning whats going on.

No threads have been deleted that I am aware of? Yes, I also agree with the comments made and that this is a significant event and does warrant its own thread, and I'm surprised someone didn't start one earlier, rather than wait until it's just about over? What I said when Michael suggested merging past posts into a new thread was that it would be 'too difficult and too disjointed to try and split threads at this late stage', i.e. it would often mean having split or duplicate individual posts for both threads to make sense, which would probably be viewed as censoring. Also, in the past when mods have been asked to reorganise threads, they end up getting criticised by other members for doing so.

I said months ago that we should have more threads dedicated to specific events, but few seem prepared to start them. Having said that, it would appear that having too many threads seems to confuse some members, who still seem to tack unrelated posts onto whatever thread is current.

Re the last thunderstorm thread, in that case it was much easier and seemed to make more sense to move the last part of the 'Unsettled Period Late September 2009' thread, which was entirely dominated by discussion of thunderstorms in the North Island, to a thread that Michael started half through that event, rather than leave it split between two threads. That and the fact that it freed up the 'Unsettled Period Late September 2009' thread for reports by other members from around the country, who might have otherwise felt overwhelmed by discussion of events in the upper North Island. Also, as explained, I moved a couple latent posts from that thread that into the October thread because they obviously weren't relevant to that thread.

[NZstorm]

Pic from the town of Rangataua, east of Ohakune. Fun driving on these roads LOL

[Michael]

Guess it would be in Raetahi as well,Snow can fall on the hills north of Wanganui too.It will do good for Turoa.

[Michael]

Warming up a little now 10c with the onset of the SSW Lot of subsidance in the tasman high on the satellite.

[Vertigo]

cold southerly rain today - quite winter-like!

[DT-NZ]

05102009.jpg

Happy Birthday Andrew... may you have great day - take care

[DT-NZ]

Warming up a little now 10c with the onset of the SSW Lot of subsidance in the tasman high on the satellite.

Subsidence (atmosphere) - I'm learning the meaning of weather words
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidence_(atmosphere)

[spwill]

Aucklands high of 12C was in the very early hours, has been around 8C all day, seldom do we see such cold weather here.
Light rain for much of the day.

[Manukau heads obs]

wind slowly becoming more SSW here,and getting gustier and gustier
still a miserable temperature and another band of rain moving in
worse than a winters day!

[Tornado Tim]

The back lawn is now getting flooded. How great!
Water absorption is very high here, and usually never gets like this.
High Temp Today: 7.8°C
Low Temp Today: 5.9°C

[Storm Struck]

A good example of the June 2006 snowstorm over the South Island, the timing of the very cold air from the south and the developing low from the north Tasman obviously helped once the two collided over the central North Island.
Good thing is the snow should melt away fairly quickly being October and the fact there's another system by the end of the week.

[David]

Terrible nasty weather today!! Some light rain, fresh winds and a high of 9.5°C here

[Dale]

Worse than a winters day.. not wrong there, its been bloody miserable since about 2am this morning not even cracking 8ºc all day, winds started calm, then light and variable with drizzle then gusted right up just after 2pm. Just as well I didnt burn up all my timber for the hell of it, fire hasnt stopped since last night.

[Storm Struck]

Nice photo of CU congestus there DTNZ, same clouds we have had here today with some reasonable height to them.
Generally sitting in a convergence zone parked in front of Banks Peninnsula and extending inland, NE/Southerly.
Not much from it though apart from a few light spots before, and bringing a total out of this event to 0.8mm.

[Andrew Massie]

Thanks for all the Birthday wishes, Team!

[Michael]

The next system looks warmer in the north though an anticyclone will keep the south cool and dry.

[tich]

Just a few light showers out on BP today. Surprisingly there hasn't been any snow settling on hills during this cold snap, though probably some would've fallen at higher levels.
Temps in northern NI probably colder than us today - I've read reports of light snow on Mt Te Aroha, and heavier dumpings between Rotorua and Taupo. Just imagine if this system had hit in mid-winter.

[jamie]

Heck what a cold day! I would say today has been one of the coldest days in Auckland this year if not the coldest. I see Jim mentioned some rivers are starting to get very high. I know the Waikato (my parents) have had 165mm in the last 15 days. So the ground is certainly getting water logged so it doesnt take much rain to make the drains and rivers rise now.

Snow flurries in Waitomo was interesting to hear. Mt Pirongia and Te Aroha must have had a good amount of snow fall on them today i would say.

Tim, how do you know when it is everyones birthday?

[David]

I know the Waikato (my parents) have had 165mm in the last 15 days.

You sure have been wetter than here, about 100mm here in the last 15 days...

[Manukau heads obs]

have an interesting report of skiers been told to leave whakapapa yesterday afternoon due to snow if only 2 wheel drive
but on the way down the snow turned to rain...then back to snow again....i.e warm advection snow...cold layer at the surface...

[jamie]

i just checked EW and Hamilton has had 185mm in the last 15 days

[jamie]

have an interesting report of skiers been told to leave whakapapa yesterday afternoon due to snow if only 2 wheel drive
but on the way down the snow turned to rain...then back to snow again....i.e warm advection snow...cold layer at the surface...

That is very interesting to hear. I cant wait to get down there. Maybe thursday Im still waiting for mt ruapehu to update how much snow has fallen, I would think it would be close to 80cm