Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-23 March

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spwill
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by spwill »

Some parts of southern Northland and NW Auckland are getting a soaking again this afternoon from a Cb line out there, isolated thunder out there as well.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by jhaylock »

It is interesting to compare yesterday's rain with the events of 21 January 1999 (and following days)
https://hwe.niwa.co.nz/event/January_19 ... d_Flooding

The events of Thursday 21 January were well reported at the time. There was widespread damage in Northland and around Pukekohe. However the unstable weather went on for several days. We were in Auckland at the time visiting for a few days.

The above report notes there was 157.5 mm of rain in the two hours from 7pm to 9pm on the 21st of January. So slightly higher intensity to yesterday but for about twice as long. This was the event where the onions got washed out of the fields around Pukekohe and blocked up all the drains making the flooding even worse.

While that event was well reported the following day or possibly Saturday we experienced another downpour while visiting friends on a farm they had just moved into between Tuakau and Pukekawa. We arrived early afternoon on a blazing hot day and our friend took us for a drive around the farm in his ute. We left the windows on our car down as it was so hot and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. When we got to the back of the farm the clouds started building up to the north. We just got back to the house as the first heavy drops came down - and got the car windows closed. For the next 40 minutes or so there was the most torrential rain I have ever experienced. At times you could not see past the fence around the house - no more than 20 m visibility.

Then it stopped, the sun came out again and we left to drive home back to Taranaki. There was plenty of damage in the area with slips and fences washed out. Tracks were scoured out. Our friends had a lot of work to do to get their farm back to good condition. I've never seen a report on how intense this rain was. It was much more localised and did not last as long as the events in Pukekohe on the 21st.

I know anecdotal reports are useless but I'm from Taranaki and we get heavy rain. This was like nothing I have ever experienced before or since and it would not have surprised me if there was up to 100mm in the 40 minutes or so. But I don't think we will ever know. I've searched and never found any records for the event.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Sad to hear about the fishing boat tragedy up north. Surely they should of checked the weather forecast before going out?
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by GraemeWi »

Sitting under the edge of a huge anvil from a cb approx 30km north west somewhere around Helensville at 6:36pm.
There was plenty of thunder, near continious earlier
IMG_20220322_183532817.v01.jpg
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by spwill »

Did see lightning from here with that Cb near the west coast
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by GraemeWi »

Off to the north there is another anvil lit from the low sun, it storm appears to be up near Waipu / Langs beach area, maybe 70km away
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by harveyt86 »

Not often you see a storm approach Wellington from the north like the one currently. Might be some good structure to be seen which is a rarity there!
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by Wildland »

Impressive thunderstorm event seen from Tawa north of Wellington since about 18:30. The temperature began ramping up mid-afternoon and peaked at 27.4C at 16:15. That's unusual for us here in March.

Thunder could be heard in the distance from about 5 o'clock in calm but increasingly gloomy conditions. And then cells became active to the north-east. By about 19:30 there were cells to the north, north-east, and a couple of impressive cloud-to-cloud lightning arcs overhead. Not long after, we got a steady fall of rain. By 8 p.m. there were cells active north, north-west and south of Tawa and steady rain.

It has now abruptly eased.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by Awhituobs »

@jhaylock
we got 150mm here (Awhitu /Manukau Heads) in 1.5 hours
I had a manual rain gauge (that could hold 25mm in the measuring tube and then it would spill over to the outside chamber type gauge)
I did check the gauge during the downpour
we were on the same sea breeze convergence as Pukekohe
it was 22 to 23 dew point that day
a few km north of me, over 200mm was recorded in that same time period, and there was extensive slips and fence wash outs etc
so could easily have broken the current NZ 1 hour rain record in that location..but nothing was official, just farmers rain gauges
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by David »

Really warm evening for late March, still 22C out
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by jhaylock »

Thanks for the update
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

We had a heavy shower here around 7pm. Eased off now.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by BeaconHill »

One of the best lightning shows over the Wellington region this evening. MetService put out a warning of a cell off the Kapiti coast and said it was going to slide over Otaki and into the Wairarapa, but it splintered and the cell that passed over Kapiti Island…..
544C35AC-4BE3-40E8-A8AF-A80DE1000592.jpeg
….(Photo from my Father at Waikanae beach at 645pm) then moved down over Porirua and Upper Hutt before splintering again. Was about 45min before dark at that stage, but looking up the Hutt Valley CG strikes were very clearly visible (715pm).
9203F94A-B80E-4577-A98E-C9EB60F4F545.png
764E9FF6-7A21-4107-9326-D9433209FA2D.jpeg

https://vimeo.com/690840076

As it got darker (very rapidly cos of the high cloud from the cell), the light show got better and better over the city.

https://vimeo.com/690836049

It then escalated to flashes of lightning all round every 5-8 seconds at most for a period(I was counting and did not get above 8 for a long while).

An active cell pushed down the hills to the west of the southern suburbs giving us an amazing view from Miramar Peninsula.

7E513B8E-180B-4299-BEEE-9858E4800FB0.jpeg
Was a great evening!
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David
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by David »

Some surprise thunder here just now
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by Tornado Tim »

A northerly storm is rare in Wellington. Looks like it made quite a show.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by Razor »

Great show in Wellington by the looks. Remember a few like that from Beacon Hill as a kid

Was running Port Hills trails til 10pm, extremely close, humid, still and wet clouds to city level
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by Ash »

Runing the Port Hills in Wellington. Sounds good 👍.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by Razor »

Ash wrote: Wed 23/03/2022 05:44 Runing the Port Hills in Wellington. Sounds good 👍.
Um, 2 separate sentences? 2 separate points

But take whatever context suits your needs
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by Ash »

Whut? I run trails as well. Port hills sounds fun. Don't know about running in the rain tho.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by Nev »

East Cape getting hammered...

https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/n ... -emergency
Metservice meteorologist David Miller said Te Puia, north of Tokomaru Bay, had 315mm of rain in the 24 hours up to 7.30am on Wednesday morning. Tolaga Bay had 215mm in the same time, while numerous places in the area had about 200mm.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-23 March

Unread post by David »

Extended the topic date. Looks like more action weather today! Quite a lot of areas with thunderstorm risks
A warm moist and unstable northerly airmass covers most of New Zealand today with thunderstorms and/or heavy rain likely to affect many North Island and northern South Island areas. Severe Weather Warnings and Watches are in force for parts of the North Island and Tasman region - see www.metservice.com/warnings/home for more detail.

In the North Island, there is a moderate risk of thunderstorms over many areas today as indicated on the chart. These thunderstorms will produce localised heavy rain of 10-25mm/h, however there is also a risk of localised downpours of 25-40+mm/h, especially about southern Northland, Auckland and Waikato this afternoon and evening, and about Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo and far northern parts of the Gisborne region at times during the day. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch will likely be issued for southern Northland, Auckland and Waikato later this morning. If localised downpours do occur, they will cause surface and/or flash flooding about low-lying areas, and make driving conditions hazardous. Hail is also likely with some of the storms.

In the South Island, there is a moderate risk of isolated thunderstorms about Nelson, the Marlborough Sounds, and inland parts of Buller and northern Westland as indicated on the chart. These thunderstorms will produce localised heavy rain of 10-25+mm/h and small hail.

A low risk of thunderstorms covers Wellington and Wairarapa, and other parts of the South Island as indicate don the chart.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-22 March

Unread post by spwill »

A lot of cloud cover here this morning from the overnight thunderstorms to the north. North Auckland looks better placed for some brighter skies/afternoon heating so I will keep an eye on that area for a chase today.
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-23 March

Unread post by Razor »

Looks like a terrible situation up Tolaga Bay and Gisborne. Best wishes for anyone up there!
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-23 March

Unread post by Awhituobs »

shower line has developed very quickly to my north!
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Re: Heavy rain and thunderstorms 20-23 March

Unread post by GraemeWi »

Dark bases out to the northwest - out towards Helensville. I think I am hearing thunder too
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