General May Weather

Manukau heads obs · Fri 16/05/2014 07:53

wasn't that long ago 17C was the overnight minimum !

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Fri 16/05/2014 08:06

May can be a really interesting weather month for NZ but not this one.
On track for a more settled month here than usual, the trend has been quite dry and sunny

melja · Unread post by **melja** » Fri 16/05/2014 08:14

Less than 3 weeks to the ski season down here and most places still have wall to wall grass and tussock.
NWers strip back any man made snow and its looks like more this weekend for the high country.

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Fri 16/05/2014 08:27

We had our first ice of the year this morning.

Looking ahead i cant see too much more rain for us for the rest of the month. If we dont get much more by the end of the month we will be about 150mm below last years YTD and an even more significant ammount below our average YTD.

Manukau heads obs · Fri 16/05/2014 08:44

ps, re rain data, I have created an add on program to WD that plots year to date rain totals for all the data now

Storm Struck · Unread post by **Storm Struck** » Fri 16/05/2014 11:50

Just by looking at the GFS modelling it seems as if the highs are shifting further north again, this allowing a much stronger and more dominant W-SW pattern as big lows from the south Tasman race on through.
The past month or so the highs have been sitting a bit lower bringing a more steady moving pattern with slower moving lows and reasonable pressures.
So I would say coming into winter the south island ski fields will benefit from this.

There's a quick vigorous front around mid next week which could see some isolated thunderstorms with hail south of Christchurch on the coast, as a pool of very cold air aloft skiffs well to the east at -34C.
This would be on the back edge of the front I am picking, but we shall see

Dean. · Unread post by **Dean.** » Fri 16/05/2014 19:21

melja wrote:Less than 3 weeks to the ski season down here and most places still have wall to wall grass and tussock.
NWers strip back any man made snow and its looks like more this weekend for the high country.

So pretty much normal for this time of the year.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Fri 16/05/2014 20:06

Agree the snow tends to arrive after mid May.

I see Cardrona has managed to hold onto some snow from last week. http://www.takeabreak.co.nz/accommodati ... .asp?cam=3

melja · Unread post by **melja** » Fri 16/05/2014 21:06

Drove past mt hutt today and it look dam good for this time of year so a good start for them.

Tornado Tim · Unread post by **Tornado Tim** » Sun 18/05/2014 10:48

I see Fiordland is getting a bit of lightning atm with the cold frontal passage.

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Sun 18/05/2014 11:09

Darn fog here is still thick.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Sun 18/05/2014 11:38

I reckon the ski fields will be making snow to open on time this year

.

Partly cloudy here, 17C, light winds. I see Greylynn has had only 202.2mm rainfall year to date

David · Unread post by **David** » Sun 18/05/2014 11:46

spwill wrote:I see Greylynn has had only 202.2mm rainfall year to date

It would have to be a pretty wet winter and spring for us to reach annual average rain this year, that's for sure!
May just isn't delivering much rain this year, whereas last year May was very wet.

Michael · Unread post by **Michael** » Mon 19/05/2014 11:43

Metservice had us down as 40th out of about 48? least windiest of their stations listed,it must be a first in a while,its often in the top 20% and there after the remaining 70% leaving 10% of the bottom ones.

Tornado Tim · Unread post by **Tornado Tim** » Tue 20/05/2014 07:06

Very foggy here today in Matangi, visibility max of 50 meters.

Richard · Unread post by **Richard** » Tue 20/05/2014 07:24

Very warm over night with a moderate NW wind,16.8deg the low.

David · Unread post by **David** » Tue 20/05/2014 08:03

Tornado Tim wrote:Very foggy here today in Matangi, visibility max of 50 meters.

Some fog in Howick this morning too.

CWUweather · Unread post by **CWUweather** » Tue 20/05/2014 08:07

Looks very cold Sunday afternoon for most of the South Island. Each model run seems to be pushing it into early next week, with the THK levels down at 519 for Christchurch on Monday morning! Snow showers to sea level if that rings true me thinks!

Dean. · Unread post by **Dean.** » Tue 20/05/2014 08:22

CWUweather wrote:Looks very cold Sunday afternoon for most of the South Island. Each model run seems to be pushing it into early next week, with the THK levels down at 519 for Christchurch on Monday morning! Snow showers to sea level if that rings true me thinks!

Cold but fine inland.Some snow for Banks Peninsula.

Bradley · Unread post by **Bradley** » Tue 20/05/2014 12:19

GFS indicates a ripper of a cold front tearing through the SI overnight Sunday/Monday, is almost identical to last May's one!! Not much moisture but some impressive 850hpa temps of -6C...

Storm Struck · Unread post by **Storm Struck** » Tue 20/05/2014 15:03

Ive been watching this for a few days now, seems to be coming around more so each day.
Theres a sneaky front on Saturday afternoon with some isolated CB's up the coast to about Ashburton, but the front on Sunday is very vigorous we actually have a margin line for the cold upper air late afternoon as into the evening the upper air would pretty much be too cold for thunderstorms and hail.
Ideally I like -27C to -30C upper air which we will get, but it pushes to -34C overnight Sunday, however CB's will probably keep going over the ocean as its still reasonably warm.
Depending on the wind flow this could increase precipitation numbers.
The metrogram numbers are up and down but I think as we get closer we will know with more confidence, but right on que for the start of winter almost.
A generally pleasant rest of the week in the lead up to it, apart from some rain tomorrow and gale winds on Friday.
Just watch those parallel running NWers through the Alps could be some big gusts up there.

jamie · Unread post by **jamie** » Tue 20/05/2014 16:15

Yet another fog day today. I think that's 5 days I a row we have had pea soup that clears around midday.

We event got enough heating today to get a heat shower. Not enough to record but we had drops of rain falling.

Dale · Unread post by **Dale** » Tue 20/05/2014 17:07

Pretty ordinary day here on the West Coast, patches of low cloud/fog about with a fleck of sun & still a lot of moisture in the atmosphere.. yesterday was a pearler with fog for the best part of the day. Still waiting on this promised heavy rain & thunder that has been forecast..

Manukau heads obs · Tue 20/05/2014 21:40

no fog here...just enough breeze to stop if forming...warm mornings (14C) because of that and nice afternoons (nearly 19c)

Orion · Unread post by **Orion** » Wed 21/05/2014 13:26

An ominous-looking patch of sky, greenish-blue with some white cloud building up in the grey, to my SSW - almost looks like a hailstorm out that way.
I see MetService forecasts a low risk of small hail for that area this afternoon.

NZ Weather Forum