General August Weather

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Probably get some thunderstorms in Canterbury now that MS have down-graded their thunderstorm risk for tomorrow?

[David]

Photo of a rippled sky here around 5pm today, thought it was interesting enough for a pic

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

After a frosty start, it was a fine day but with lots of thin grey high cloud moving across from the west with westerly winds.
Today's maximum was 13.6C.

[Simon Culling]

Probably get some thunderstorms in Canterbury now that MS have down-graded their thunderstorm risk for tomorrow?

Hello John - Geraldine does not seem to be the place for thunder in NZ!! What is the average number of days per year that you would hear thunder?

Here in Tiverton, the annual average is about 8-10 days per year and this compares with about 15 days in my old haunt of Milton Keynes and around 20 days in parts of eastern England.

[Richard]

John is in a better area than where I am. Last summer we heard thunder on four days which would be around the average, but some years there can be no thunder. I dont know where in NZ the least would be heard but here could well be it.

[Storm Struck]

Some convective clouds starting to build to the south, also looks to be a thunderstorm just near Ellesmere on the NW side.
Thought there was a slight risk today.
The band to the NE has brought snow as low as 300m this morning especially about Hanmer Springs.

[JP.]

Some convective clouds starting to build to the south, also looks to be a thunderstorm just near Ellesmere on the NW side.
Thought there was a slight risk today.
The band to the NE has brought snow as low as 300m this morning especially about Hanmer Springs.

Some thunder rolls here in Wigram that I can hear above the usual office noise

[Storm Struck]

Can confirm just heard a peel of thunder, rain starting here too.

[JP.]

We have pretty heavy pea sized hail. I'll grab a pic once its over

[darcyplumb]

Lucky buggers to the north of me. We’ve had a passing shower here in Ashburton… radar looks great for areas north of Rolleston.

[Razor]

Been running up the Port Hills. Frequent thunder right overhead and some hail. Very still.

[mikestormchaser]

Thought there might of been a chance of heavy showers, hail but not thunderstorms. Despite cold air aloft the surface temperatures still looked to cold. But their ya go, well done to MS for putting out a thunder risk today.
Good signs for spring/ summer season

[dogmelon]

I saw some lightning and heard the thunder plus the pea-sized hail in Hornby.

[Razor]

Looking around social media some areas to the west of ChCh are gathering large accumulations of hail. Back in Lincoln now where there hasn't been a drop of rain

[JP.]

Wigram is under some very heavy rain and light hail showers again.

[Storm Struck]

Still sitting under this feeding cell to the west Christchurch.
Has been the heaviest rain and hail I've seem for a number of years. Starting to get some bigger stones as I type and a big flash of lightning wow.
Edit. The lightning wasn't frequent enough to get shots of but did try. There was one CG to the NW of work.
Rain has eased although still under or near that rapid feed zone. You can see the low wrapping a Southerly in over Banks Peninsula now.
Hail melted fast but surface flooding has increased as the water tables struggle.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Some Cu going up down here but not expecting much of anything from it.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Hello John - Geraldine does not seem to be the place for thunder in NZ!! What is the average number of days per year that you would hear thunder?

Here in Tiverton, the annual average is about 8-10 days per year and this compares with about 15 days in my old haunt of Milton Keynes and around 20 days in parts of eastern England.

I'm not too sure of thunder days here in Geraldine but we do get a few in the summer months especially around the foothills.
We have had more thunder days here since we moved from West Melton on the western outskirts of Christchurch, including 2 occasions when we had a thunderstorm on a day that was not mentioned or forecasted on MetService's Thunderstorm Outlook page, one of them losing power in Geraldine because of a lightning strike.

[Richard]

I was in Rangiora when things were happening down there, it was so fascinating watching the instability overhead.

[darcyplumb]

It has caused carnage at Chch Airport with dozens of cancellations and diversions.

[Razor]

Probably get some thunderstorms in Canterbury now that MS have down-graded their thunderstorm risk for tomorrow?

It worked!

[darcyplumb]

A random 30 second burst of hail here just now.

[Storm Struck]

It's certainly not uncommon to get thunderstorms in August on the plains, but it has happened in the past given the right ingredients.
Which the numbers were there for today, just that these type of set ups are not your usual active lightning spring and summer storms. I think John there's that horrible term thundery showers almost comes to kind
I've seen some photos of complete without from the hail over Hornby and Yaldhurst areas, also with some stones up to 15mm in diameter.
Where I was they were no bigger than 5mm but very intense like a wall of hail coming down.

A couple of land building icy showers down your way Darcyplumb I see. Will be the back end colder air sweeping through.

[RODALCO]

Just had a brief hail shower in Rosedale, Te Kea Place at 20.17h. Pea sized hail stones.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Came onto rain overnight and a shower or two this morning and remaining cloudy for the rest of the day with a cool southerly wind.
Trying to clear this afternoon but with some unstable cloud forms observed this afternoon as well.
Cloudy evening and calm.
Today's maximum was 11.7C with 1.7mm of rain.
Some Cu forms from this afternoon.