NZ Weather Data Archive

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Thunder081
Posts: 470
Joined: Wed 22/08/2012 00:10
Location: Christchurch

NZ Weather Data Archive

Unread post by Thunder081 »

Hey guys I need to know if there is an online archive of NZ weather data what I'm mainly looking for is rain radar images, isobar maps and satellite images. For satellite images this website has monthly timelapses going back to June 1995 of MTSAT-1R images of Australia and NZ: http://agora.ex.nii.ac.jp/digital-typho ... oceania/2/
For weather station data I'm aware of cliflo (http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz), wunderground and environmental monitoring websites provided by some regional councils such as: http://graphs.gw.govt.nz

Metservice probably has the biggest archive (CD Archive) of all but to get data from them is expensive, I asked them for rain radar images for a rain event that caused flooding and damage in the Southern Rimutaka Ranges (Orongorongos) on 30 - 31st of March 2005 and they said that they found 141 rain radar images and that 52 were missing for the two days and that it would cost $426+GST for them to then re frame the scans over eastern wellington with a reasonable margin, put a banner on each image and convert to PNG which is automatic using an image conversion/editing program and the whole process would have taken 1.5 hours of work. Sooo yeah nah...

What I'm also wondering is if anyone from this forum saves weather data from notable weather events and yes I've looked through archives on this forum and it has been useful for some past weather events like for 30 - 31st march 2005 where somebody posted 3 NZ satellite images.

From 2013 to now I've saved rain radar, isobar and satellite images for most notable weather events and I would make an archive website if enough people were interested in it (because who would want to fork out thousands of dollars for past weather data from metservices archive?!) and yes I know that metservice would possibly want to stop it due to copyright issues...

Sorry if it sounds like I'm moaning here.. but I'm jealous that in other countries like Australia you can look at past rain radar images from years ago (http://www.theweatherchaser.com/radar-loop/)
Wellington southerly front timelapse: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBl3hsuIg2Q
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NZstorm
Posts: 11333
Joined: Mon 10/03/2003 19:38
Location: Grey Lynn, Auckland

Re: NZ Weather Data Archive

Unread post by NZstorm »

The government needs to free up the supply of data to the public as we are the people who are the true owners of it.
The Met Service and NIWA and all their assets are the property of the public of NZ.

Landcare used to have a good satellite archive, I'm sure it will still be on the web.

I often will paste charts on threads as I know this forum has become a bit of a resource for past weather events in NZ.
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Thunder081
Posts: 470
Joined: Wed 22/08/2012 00:10
Location: Christchurch

Re: NZ Weather Data Archive

Unread post by Thunder081 »

NZstorm wrote:The government needs to free up the supply of data to the public as we are the people who are the true owners of it.
The Met Service and NIWA and all their assets are the property of the public of NZ.

Landcare used to have a good satellite archive, I'm sure it will still be on the web.

I often will paste charts on threads as I know this forum has become a bit of a resource for past weather events in NZ.
Ok thanks mate I will ask landcare about their archive and yeah hopefully the current investigation about the open access data will make a free up the HQ radars (I doubt it)
Wellington southerly front timelapse: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBl3hsuIg2Q