NZ Weather Forum

Richard wrote:Sorry to hear about damaging your car, easy to do when you have ya head out the window looking at clouds

In a nutshell, I was on a straight piece of gravel road, steering wheel held both hands, and suddenly the car went right. Tried to flick it back but caught the edge of a little ditch with the front right wheel, quite a hit. The car was at the garage for servicing and warrant last Thursday, as well as inspection regarding clunky noises on the steering rack or suspensions … not saying it's related, but I don't tend to loose control of my car in straight lines, so … wait and see ...

This is a great pic of the rope out!


http://www.stuff.co.nz/content/dam/imag ... 911570.jpg

Lucky there no injuries, seen some photos on FB of a flipped tractor trailer

I wonder if we'll get an official rating of the tornado(es) today ?

Lacertae wrote:I wonder if we'll get an official rating of the tornado(es) today ?

I would doubt it. Attached photo (not mine) taken ten minutes inland of Hinds.

\With the storms today, I was surprised that there wasn't ant tornadoes today, but I see, now, that now there have a been a few.
I was at a local Bagpipe event this afternoon, so had to give up my thunderstorm duties, to take in the swarming sound of bag-pipes, which hindered my thunderstorm observance.
..but I did sneak out and observed a flash or 2 especially around 4:30pm, when the cell that was earlier mentioned in Met Services earlier severe thunderstorm watch, float over the house in a long steak of lightning extending from west to east. a nice roll of thunder followed about 5 seconds later followed by a nice sound of "Dump" thunder at the end.
...then back to the bagpipes.

still big hail drifts in my garden at home, some of the newly planted flowers and hydrainga's have taken a beating not to mention our vege garden, tomatoes stripped and potatoes with big holes in the leaves.
Great storm set up for canterbury though! about time! fortunately i have an amazing gf who did all our xmas shopping while i went out and chased storms! as today really was only my next free day to do the shopping!! what a keeper

An image of the core of the first cell which dropped a funnel while I was driving towards it. A gigantic line of trees prevented me from having a clear view for a photo and had to carry on until I was able to take this shot. The funnel was long gone by then, but the rotation in the whole thing was still fairly obvious. The same thing a few minutes later, side on, near the bridge over the Rakaia on SH1.

10 - 15min before that first cell started dropping rain on me

Lacertae wrote:10 - 15min before that first cell started dropping rain on me

Your second image there Ben was what Steve, jase and I were watching when i phone called you.It was the back end flank witch had some good up draft structure on it. And we too thought something onmious about it

I had bad luck and pretty much got nothing any good! I saw that line coming up from the south and was waiting for it to come up but it had already dropped that tornado (perhaps landspout?) so I missed it. I was really tired from a wedding the night before and didn't want to venture too far.

Sorry to hear about your wheel there Ben, there will always be next time

Couldn't stray to far today as was on call for work, but found a good clear vantage between Lincoln and Tai Tapu.
Took around 3000 shots and managed to capture 1 CG from the first cell before it got too wet. 17mm here to refresh the garden - and only small hail.

Capturing lightning in Canterbury is tough work! Well done

Thunder wrote:I had bad luck and pretty much got nothing any good! I saw that line coming up from the south and was waiting for it to come up but it had already dropped that tornado (perhaps landspout?)

I thought the same when I first started seeing photos of it. The more I saw and heard tho tho more a leaned towards tornado.

Well done on the lightning photos.

Yesterday was the first time i'd heard the creak of lightning before being so close to where it hit,and you know it was close because the boom was only half a second behind made, we made sure that we stayed in the car just to be safe.

It was great to drive to a storm but i just wish we could get a storm in this area, worked out its been nearly two years since the last time we had a storm here apart from a few distant rumbles.

Had a bit of a storm driving down south yesterday, some lightning and a bit of hail but hardly anything compared to what we got at home. Wish I had of gone down in the morning to be back for the storms here, would of probably seen a tornado then too...

Recorded 35.2mm of precipitation at my station yesterday - about 15mm would be hail melt. From 13:15, 10mm rain fell in about 15 minutes peaking at 79mm/h.

Just the one decent video still taken from Highfield Rd (12km NW of Rolleston).

Now that is a great photo, its like its saying 'oops wrong way'

A few minutes before the storm arrived, my attention was drawn to how suddenly intense was the scent from my Christmas tree and the roses in a vase - something to do with ionisation of the air? - it wasn't the ozone "fresh" smell you get after a storm, just very strong fragrance.

A few stills from the dashcam. No hail in the first image 1.5km SW of my house.

Orion wrote:A few minutes before the storm arrived, my attention was drawn to how suddenly intense was the scent from my Christmas tree and the roses in a vase - something to do with ionisation of the air? - it wasn't the ozone "fresh" smell you get after a storm, just very strong fragrance.

Further to my observation above: it's not the first time someone's observed it, apparently:
Flowers never emit so sweet and strong a fragrance as before a storm. When a storm approaches thee, be as fragrant as a sweet-smelling flower.
Jean Paul Richter (1763 — 1825)

Interesting Orion something ive never noticed

Orion wrote:

Orion wrote:A few minutes before the storm arrived, my attention was drawn to how suddenly intense was the scent from my Christmas tree and the roses in a vase - something to do with ionisation of the air? - it wasn't the ozone "fresh" smell you get after a storm, just very strong fragrance.

Further to my observation above: it's not the first time someone's observed it, apparently:
Flowers never emit so sweet and strong a fragrance as before a storm. When a storm approaches thee, be as fragrant as a sweet-smelling flower.
Jean Paul Richter (1763 — 1825)

We were at WIllowbank in the kiwi house. Just before we heard the thunder, the kiwis started calling out. I wondered what had started them off (made them easy to find).

Ashburton Guardian Article on the Tornado

http://www.guardianonline.co.nz/news/la ... for-cover/