Thunderstorms Upper North Island - April 19th - 22nd

littleheaven · Unread post by **littleheaven** » Sun 21/04/2013 23:52

Heavy in Glenfield. Just saw some lightning, thunder about 35 sec behind.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Mon 22/04/2013 00:08

The odd lightning flash here last 15mins but too rainy to set up the tripod for a photo

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Mon 22/04/2013 00:11

big bang 5 seconds between here.

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Mon 22/04/2013 00:22

Got woken by a flash before. Was odd feeling then just crack and shake. Nearly crapped the bed.

Been getting some other good ones too.

CWUweather · Unread post by **CWUweather** » Mon 22/04/2013 00:29

Last hour on the radar shows a very.... umm whats the word for it....... stormy/torrential/nasty looking rain band entering the radar zone, directly west of taranaki. thought? glitch in radar?
UPDATE: Looks like it could be heading nelson way of even further south? In saying this it could weaken at the same time. Still a couple of hours away

David · Unread post by **David** » Mon 22/04/2013 00:30

Doesn't look like much is going to eventuate here, may as well go to sleep zzzz....

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Mon 22/04/2013 00:31

Not a glitch. That band is highly active right now. Will be interesting to see where cops it. It might weaken tho.

CWUweather · Unread post by **CWUweather** » Mon 22/04/2013 00:35

jamie wrote:Not a glitch. That band is highly active right now. Will be interesting to see where cops it. It might weaken tho.

Didnt think it was a glitch haha. You are very right in saying it may weaken, its 50/50, Nelson, Westport, New Plymouth may catch the northern edge of it. But as you say weakening is likely
UPDATE: If anything i would say that it is currently intensifying

By 3am it will be close to making landfall i would say

sw_windbow · Unread post by **sw_windbow** » Mon 22/04/2013 00:36

Could be the same thing the 3 day model has at 3am today about there. That mass is due to cross the alps and hit Dunedin at 9pm today. Also check out the flaming comet aiming for Taupo at 3pm on Wednesday!

CWUweather · Unread post by **CWUweather** » Mon 22/04/2013 00:39

sw_windbow wrote:Could be the same thing the 3 day model has at 3am today about there. That mass is due to cross the alps and hit Dunedin at 9pm tomorrow. Also check out the flaming comet aiming for Taupo at 3pm on Wednesday!

Could be the startings of that. Will have to wait and see. Right im going to watch Jack Reacher. Will check back in after that

Manukau heads obs · Mon 22/04/2013 06:25

you guys ready for round 3 today?

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Mon 22/04/2013 06:51

Manukau heads obs wrote:you guys ready for round 3 today?

Looks south of Auckland today.

Manukau heads obs · Mon 22/04/2013 06:56

Max temps of 22C doesn't correlate with very big CAPE numbers.

I did wonder about that too
since CAPE refers to potential (i.e stored) energy...i.e the bigger the cap to hold in the days heating the more potential energy available to be released
sort of thing

the next CB line is moving more SE rather than SSE
I will get it here at least
we got over 30mm in total here yesterday
MTD rain here now 81mm, so looking like first time we will get an average rain month in a while

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Mon 22/04/2013 07:03

Manukau heads obs wrote:
Max temps of 22C doesn't correlate with very big CAPE numbers.
I did wonder about that too
since CAPE refers to potential (i.e stored) energy...i.e the bigger the cap to hold in the days heating the more potential energy available to be released
sort of thing

Sorry, I deleted that post.

Yes, there was no cap.

NZ convective environment is one that doesn't favour big CAPE numbers because of our oceanic setting. In Australia and USA they get the elevated mixed layer which is hot air around 850mb which instability is leveraged off. The EML steepens the upper level lapse rates while allowing surface temps to heat up.

Manukau heads obs · Mon 22/04/2013 07:07

still, though, the bottom line is, 22C and at times 20C dew point was big numbers for the time of year here
and so good for CB's for here

David · Unread post by **David** » Mon 22/04/2013 07:26

Picked up 8mm here overnight, every little bit helps...
MS has moderate thunder risk again today.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Mon 22/04/2013 07:33

Manukau heads obs wrote:still, though, the bottom line is, 22C and at times 20C dew point was big numbers for the time of year here
and so good for CB's for here

I think the north Tasman low earlier in the week played a part in this thundery period by bringing a lot of tropical moisture into our region, there was not the usual cooler moisture clear out behind that low.

Clear skies in the west, can now see that next distant line

David · Unread post by **David** » Mon 22/04/2013 07:45

I wonder how Stuff got the idea that Nelson got hit by a "weather bomb"? Oh, and they were talking about a mini tornado in Raglan yesterday too

Manukau heads obs · Mon 22/04/2013 07:52

even Jim Hickey called it a twister
why not just always refer to as a small tornado?

kiwisk8er · Unread post by **kiwisk8er** » Mon 22/04/2013 08:01

Every time someone says a mini tornado my eye twitches.

David · Unread post by **David** » Mon 22/04/2013 08:11

After 50mm rain in the last 7-8 days I noticed one of our small ferns has started recovering from the drought - some of them have had no green on them for 2 months or so. Hopefully the others recover too...

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Mon 22/04/2013 08:36

ive got a jurno friend at TVNZ and ive made it very clear to him that its small tornado or weak tornado or just tornado but never mini tornado. TVNZ have reported it as a small torando in all their reports. Nice to see

. Waikato Times however have been mini mini mini

David · Unread post by **David** » Mon 22/04/2013 11:49

Well thank goodness my rain gauge is still working, just had a torrential shower with enormous rain drops... a quick 2.4mm rain.

Storm Struck · Unread post by **Storm Struck** » Mon 22/04/2013 12:24

jamie wrote:ive got a jurno friend at TVNZ and ive made it very clear to him that its small tornado or weak tornado or just tornado but never mini tornado. TVNZ have reported it as a small torando in all their reports. Nice to see . Waikato Times however have been mini mini mini

I grinded my teeth last night at the report of the nelson deluge being labelled a weather bomb, it not even the correct term and these are journalists writing this they have no understanding for the meanings of half the words they use.
I guess that means taking 5 minutes of thier time to check on Wikipedia for the meaning

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Mon 22/04/2013 13:05

A thunderstorm formed over SE Auckland late morning with the front ( photo) but it stayed dry here however there are still a few showers around.

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