Tornadoes in New Zealand

Archive of NZ Weather & Climate
Forum rules
These topics are a read-only archive and may be subject to out-of-date information.

For today's weather discussion head to: New Zealand Weather & Climate
User avatar
tgsnoopy
Posts: 3653
Joined: Fri 25/03/2005 21:17
Location: Tauranga, NZ (Curse you COVID-19 :-( )
Has thanked: 816 times
Been thanked: 283 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by tgsnoopy »

I recall the last one. I'm pretty sure that was Aaron's famous Tornado Whisperer day. There is a stand of historic genetic pinus radiata near Kawerau it went through, heaps of trees were snapped off at a uniform height, rotation obvious in the way they fell.
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

I now think this event in Central Otago a couple of years back was likely was a landspout tornado rather than a devil.

http://www.odt.co.nz/the-regions/centra ... -buildings
User avatar
Richard
Posts: 8369
Joined: Tue 14/07/2009 07:32
Location: Medbury, Inland North Canterbury
Has thanked: 1656 times
Been thanked: 800 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by Richard »

Yes i would agree with you,as Dustdevils are more to do with summer land heating
spwill
Posts: 9907
Joined: Sun 29/06/2003 22:39
Location: Mt Eden Auckland
Has thanked: 839 times
Been thanked: 866 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by spwill »

Could it have been caused by a NW gust and local topography. Central Otago Cb clouds tend to be spill over showers in decay.
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

The vortex will have been triggered by an orographic eddy. To become a landspout there would need to be some surface based lift. There was a cold upper trough crossing the area with steep lapse rates. Would be interesting to know what the temperature got to in Cromwell on this day.
User avatar
Nev
Moderator
Posts: 6216
Joined: Tue 07/03/2006 15:24
Location: Waiheke Island, Hauraki Gulf
Has thanked: 468 times
Been thanked: 1064 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by Nev »

^ High was 13.9C in Cromwell that day, 12-13C around the time of the event (DP 5C) with a max NE gust of 59km/h, no rain until later that arvo (although the event was about 15 km NNE of Cromwell).
spwill
Posts: 9907
Joined: Sun 29/06/2003 22:39
Location: Mt Eden Auckland
Has thanked: 839 times
Been thanked: 866 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by spwill »

bmo
Posts: 739
Joined: Sat 20/03/2010 00:40
Location: Auckland
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by bmo »

User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

7 tornadoes reported in the media this year since March.

2010 was an uneventful year for tornadoes in NZ due to La Nina.(warm upper air).
GraemeWi
Posts: 1012
Joined: Sun 30/03/2003 18:28
Location: Hobsonville Point, Auckland
Has thanked: 36 times
Been thanked: 78 times
Contact:

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by GraemeWi »

There is an article is Stuff today http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5352968 ... y-to-track - Metservice say a database on NZ tornadoes would be useful to them :)
Barrow said there was no database that recorded tornados in New Zealand, but such a database would prove useful.

"It would really help us quite a lot, but you need a good observational network that just doesn't exist," he said.

"There's a real difficulty in confirming a tornado has occurred."
Maybe they could make use of the forum?
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

I've plotted a chart of tornado damage occurrences for Taranaki since the year 2000. I have found 18 days with events and plotted them on a chart. The region in the vicinity of New Plymouth certainly looks like NZ's tornado alley although maybe waterspout alley is a better term. Other regions that stand out for waterspout occurrence are Westland, Kapiti Coast and Bay of Plenty. Exposure to the N or NW is the important factor.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

Some more tornado trivia, NZ's highest rated tornado was F3 which was the Motonui,Taranaki August 2004 event. The longest track tornado was possibly the one that went through Awhitu Peninsula, south Auckland in September 1990. Looks to have traveled 25km.
User avatar
03Stormchaser
Moderator
Posts: 4428
Joined: Tue 09/12/2003 12:11
Location: Prebbleton
Has thanked: 104 times
Been thanked: 184 times
Contact:

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by 03Stormchaser »

Mention here of a tornado in Huntly back in 1975:

A tornado struck near Huntly, in the Waikato, knocking over a line of power poles and destroying a hay barn, parts of which flew over the heads of children playing nearby. A service station at Waerenga was ripped apart and a number of houses damaged. Fallen trees cut roads and brought down power and phone lines in many other parts of the country.
http://blog.metservice.com/2011/10/rugb ... -the-rain/

No surprises that is was a winter tornado.
NZ Largest Storm Chasing Facebook Pagehttp://www.facebook.com/nzstormchasers
NZ Largest Storm Chase Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/NZStormchasersGroup
NZ Stormchasers TV https://www.youtube.com/@NZStormchasers
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

Mention here of a tornado in Huntly back in 1975:
There was an F1 at Huntly in August 2000 as well.
User avatar
Nev
Moderator
Posts: 6216
Joined: Tue 07/03/2006 15:24
Location: Waiheke Island, Hauraki Gulf
Has thanked: 468 times
Been thanked: 1064 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by Nev »

Yes, here's a couple of NZ Herald stories about that 2000 Huntly 'tornado'...

'Huntly cleans up following mini tornado'
'Twister's lash wakes Huntly'


Also came across this compelling account from 94 years ago, c/o the NZ National Library archives...

'TORNADO AT HUNTLY' - Ashburton Guardian, 19 June 1917.
User avatar
Tornado Tim
Moderator
Posts: 4920
Joined: Sun 19/10/2008 17:17
Location: Raglan, Waikato / Hillcrest, Hamilton
Has thanked: 102 times
Been thanked: 202 times
Contact:

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by Tornado Tim »

NZstorm wrote:NZ's highest rated tornado was F3 which was the Motonui,Taranaki August 2004 event.
I would challenge that, from my understanding the Frankton Tornado was not EF documented (due it being 1948) and looking at the historic photos of the damage I bet would have met or have exceeded the damage of that tornado in 2004.
References: 1 and 2
NZAPStrike.net - NZ Aus Pacific Strike Network
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

I tend to agree Tim, the volume of damage at Frankton was far greater than the Motonui tornado, the later being a rural tornado.
There are photos of the Frankton tornado damage in the NZ herald which I have viewed a couple of times at the Auckland library.

The Motonui tornado did get rated and I think it was NIWA who gave it the F3. The farm house that was hit was reduced to kindling. Very rarely see that kind of damage in NZ. I think it was a case of the house being the first sizable obstruction the tornado hit, which meant the house took the full force of it. I did visit the area about 5 days after the event and did a bit of a survey.
User avatar
Michael
Posts: 7210
Joined: Thu 27/03/2003 12:04
Location: Rainy Manurewa, Auckland - "City of Gales"
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 1 time
Contact:

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by Michael »

The little blue bcnz book from 1978 depicts several in january 20th 1975 with a low over central n.z with an anticyclone over the far south providing colder air and westerly flow where they occured,mostly wiakato guess most have the book.
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

Picture here from the NZ Herald of the left overs of the house at Motonui August 2004.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

The tornado season for the North Island is finished now. There is a clearly defined season from April to October, about 90% of the NI tornadoes reported occur within this time frame.
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

The season for landspout tornadoes is during the summer months when we get cold air masses being heated. I have noticed in Auckland/Waikato they seem to occur with weak easterly flows converging with sea breezes.

Landspouts are formed by stretching upwards of surface vorticity.
User avatar
03Stormchaser
Moderator
Posts: 4428
Joined: Tue 09/12/2003 12:11
Location: Prebbleton
Has thanked: 104 times
Been thanked: 184 times
Contact:

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by 03Stormchaser »

1953 Friday 3rd Apri
A man was killed from a collapsing bus shelter that was struck by a tornado that formed in the North Shore suburb of Bayswater which then swept over the harbour and struck Remuera.

More here:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4d ... 1932&hl=en
NZ Largest Storm Chasing Facebook Pagehttp://www.facebook.com/nzstormchasers
NZ Largest Storm Chase Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/NZStormchasersGroup
NZ Stormchasers TV https://www.youtube.com/@NZStormchasers
User avatar
03Stormchaser
Moderator
Posts: 4428
Joined: Tue 09/12/2003 12:11
Location: Prebbleton
Has thanked: 104 times
Been thanked: 184 times
Contact:

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by 03Stormchaser »

Another mention here of another Tornado that looks like it took much the same path but way back in 4th November 1863!

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bi ... --0--&st=1
NZ Largest Storm Chasing Facebook Pagehttp://www.facebook.com/nzstormchasers
NZ Largest Storm Chase Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/NZStormchasersGroup
NZ Stormchasers TV https://www.youtube.com/@NZStormchasers
Orion
Posts: 3994
Joined: Sun 08/08/2010 16:49
Location: Ashburton, Mid-Canterbury, 110m asl.
Has thanked: 1367 times
Been thanked: 329 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by Orion »

Fascinating articles, thanks so much for those links, 03Stormchaser _b
User avatar
NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland
Has thanked: 342 times
Been thanked: 361 times

Re: Tornadoes in New Zealand

Unread post by NZstorm »

Thanks for those reports 03Stormchaser.
Locked