NZ Weather Forum

Timelapse via work colleague as front passed through Porirua

Reports online social media pages, of a small tornado and damage near Levin? Unsure if it's a tornado or a downburst.
However the ranges probably would create some potential local vortices.
Can anyone properly confirm this?

Photo from a family member who was on the Qantas Flight from Sydney that ended up diverting to Chch.

Storm Struck wrote: ↑Tue 12/12/2023 16:51 Reports online social media pages, of a small tornado and damage near Levin? Unsure if it's a tornado or a downburst.
However the ranges probably would create some potential local vortices.
Can anyone properly confirm this?

Short video included here. Hard to say if it was a tornado or a microburst..?
(Edit: Scroll down to 04:32 pm)

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/weathe ... oves-north

I would suggest the mini-tornado in L. HUtt would be a downburst. If it was a mini tornado it wouldn't do any damage although apparently it was reported as lifting a container.
Mods: This should a separate topic, I'm thinking

NZ Thunderstorm Soc wrote: ↑Tue 12/12/2023 17:44 Mods: This should a separate topic, I'm thinking

Done!

NZ Thunderstorm Soc wrote: ↑Tue 12/12/2023 17:44 I would suggest the mini-tornado in L. HUtt would be a downburst. If it was a mini tornado it wouldn't do any damage although apparently it was reported as lifting a container.
Mods: This should a separate topic, I'm thinking

I think it was a tornado I've seen big whirlwinds being whipped up on Wellington harbor during intense southerly fronts. On this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc5hr8NzGXs of the big southerly front on 12th March 2010 from 0:35 you can see what looks like a tornado forming with the rotating sea spray

Please stop using the Mini Tornado term, it is or isn't. No Mini, small yes. It's a bad thing we should be trying to educate on. Rant over, Ta

tgsnoopy wrote: ↑Tue 12/12/2023 19:09 Please stop using the Mini Tornado term, it is or isn't. No Mini, small yes. It's a bad thing we should be trying to educate on. Rant over, Ta

Sorry about using the term "Mini" in my posting about the Lower Hutt possible tornado. I just used it as the media keep on using that term as opposed to the larger tornadoes that occur in the USA
It is like my hating of the term "Bathroom" as apposed to the word toilet but I won't go on about that because it is off topic.

There was 26mm recorded at Christchurch Airport yesterday, 18mm of that fell with the hailstorm in about 15 minutes.
Still some patches of hail in sheltered spots this morning.

The smoke I referred to seeing yesterday was from a lightning strike hitting a hedge and setting fire to it near the airport also.
Possibly happening the same time the runway lights etc went out.
As per below.

Was in Timaru today and it was interesting to hear people talking about yesterday's hailstorm in Timaru.
Even though not as severe as the 2019 hailstorm but there was considerable flooding around the town and lots of hail lying around on the ground.
Interesting that we didn't get anything like that here in Geraldine, just rain.

BeaconHill wrote: ↑Tue 12/12/2023 17:15 Photo from a family member who was on the Qantas Flight from Sydney that ended up diverting to Chch.

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Absolutely amazing thanks for sharing

Storm Struck wrote: ↑Wed 13/12/2023 09:03 There was 26mm recorded at Christchurch Airport yesterday, 18mm of that fell with the hailstorm in about 15 minutes.
Still some patches of hail in sheltered spots this morning.

I recall plenty of thunder and lightning in central Chch, plus some quite heavy rain for a time, but no hail.

tich wrote: ↑Wed 13/12/2023 23:09 I recall plenty of thunder and lightning in central Chch, plus some quite heavy rain for a time, but no hail.

Interesting, Ben.
I got a call from Bob Crowder from his palatial new place in Lower Cashmere up on the hill, saying that he saw frequent lightning close to there but no hail but frequent but short heavy showers.

Today's news article furthermore to yesterday's tornado in the lower north island.
Some good security camera footage too.
Good to have this for future references.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g5upF7S09L0

Was it a tornado though?

Interesting snippet from 1News...

'82-year-old woman’s narrow escape after Wellington wind destroys garage'

While some have called the event a tornado, MetService is describing it as a supercharged southerly change.

"There was a severe thunderstorm embedded in the change and a whole lot of atmospherics that brought about the intensity. I would say that in the six years that I've been in Wellington I think it's the strongest southerly change that I've seen," said MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris.

Nev wrote: ↑Thu 14/12/2023 07:23 Was it a tornado though?

Interesting snippet from 1News...

'82-year-old woman’s narrow escape after Wellington wind destroys garage'

While some have called the event a tornado, MetService is describing it as a supercharged southerly change.

"There was a severe thunderstorm embedded in the change and a whole lot of atmospherics that brought about the intensity. I would say that in the six years that I've been in Wellington I think it's the strongest southerly change that I've seen," said MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris.

I think Metservice only confirms a tornado when there's a actual vid/picture of the tornado/funnel itself. some eyewitnesses said there was a vortex of wind and swirling winds too. either way. it was a very strong wind to have caused that type of damage. (walls collapsing, garage destroyed, windows smashed and blown of supermarkets etc.

“I’d never seen anything like it. My son and I saw big dark clouds starting to swirl - and then we noticed them moving faster and faster, before we realised they were actually picking stuff up,” Dunn said.

this was from stuff.