Re: General February Weather

[JP.]

Looking at long range modelling it looks quite possible we won't get any rain here for the rest of month. We are only on 4mm MTD and the last rain was 12 days ago.

Yes, getting very dry around Akld. Just 12mm here mtd and 36mm for Jan.
Soil moisture anomalies a bit different to this time last year...

I'm sure most are aware but extremely dry in Canterbury. Looked back at the 3 month period from Dec 22-Feb 23 and Christchurch saw around 183mm and with 6 days to go in that same period this year (85 days so far) Christchurch city is on 92.6mm. Incredibly dry summer

[Nev]

I'm sure most are aware but extremely dry in Canterbury. Looked back at the 3 month period from Dec 22-Feb 23 and Christchurch saw around 183mm and with 6 days to go in that same period this year (85 days so far) Christchurch city is on 92.6mm. Incredibly dry summer

Not quite sure what you mean by 'the 3 month period from Dec 22-Feb 23', as that's only 63 days?

But yes, Chch Aero recorded 182.4mm for the entire summer last season, which is 140% of normal.
Whereas it has only recorded 92.8mm so far this summer, which is 71% of normal.

[JP.]

I'm sure most are aware but extremely dry in Canterbury. Looked back at the 3 month period from Dec 22-Feb 23 and Christchurch saw around 183mm and with 6 days to go in that same period this year (85 days so far) Christchurch city is on 92.6mm. Incredibly dry summer

Not quite sure what you mean by 'the 3 month period from Dec 22-Feb 23', as that's only 63 days?

But yes, Chch Aero recorded 182.4mm for the entire summer last season, which is 140% of normal.
Whereas it has only recorded 92.8mm so far this summer, which is 71% of normal.

Sorry meant from the 1st December

[Nev]

Not quite sure what you mean by 'the 3 month period from Dec 22-Feb 23', as that's only 63 days?

Sorry meant from the 1st December

My mistake, I read those dates as days, rather than years, as today is Feb 23rd... oops!

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Cloudy overnight and this morning but clearing away to become a fine and sunny day. 24.7C for today.

[TonyT]

Yes, getting very dry around Akld. Just 12mm here mtd and 36mm for Jan.
Soil moisture anomalies a bit different to this time last year...

I'm sure most are aware but extremely dry in Canterbury. Looked back at the 3 month period from Dec 22-Feb 23 and Christchurch saw around 183mm and with 6 days to go in that same period this year (85 days so far) Christchurch city is on 92.6mm. Incredibly dry summer

You obviously haven't lived through some of the more impressive (scary?) Canterbury droughts. 93mm is dry, but not "incredibly dry". Last summer was "incredibly wet". The hyperbole belongs with last summer, not this one.

[Richard]

Yes this is what Ive heard many older farmers around here call 'a normal dry summer', as its more common to be dry this time of year than wet like the last few summers. But this summer would have to be one of the more extreme droughts though, only had 29mm from 1/12/2023 to 24/2/2014

[Thunder081]

In today's thunderstorm outlook it says there is also a low risk of one or two lightning strikes originating from orographic wave cloud over Mid and North Canterbury and southern Kaikoura from evening.

Has anyone ever seen that happen in canterbury before?

[Richard]

In today's thunderstorm outlook it says there is also a low risk of one or two lightning strikes originating from orographic wave cloud over Mid and North Canterbury and southern Kaikoura from evening.

Has anyone ever seen that happen in canterbury before?

Yes it happens, The best example of wave lightening I remember was either 1989 or 90, I was living west of Amberley, one night around 2.00 am got woken by thunder so I walked up to the top of a nearby hill and watched a 2-3 hour spectacle of crawling lightning under the wave cloud. This was happening over a two hundred km area from Kaikoura to Timaru. There were no ground strikes, they were happening on the West Coast, I think I remember that Granity got hit badly that night, there was even a write up in The Press about it the next day

[Andy]

Yes this is what Ive heard many older farmers around here call 'a normal dry summer', as its more common to be dry this time of year than wet like the last few summers. But this summer would have to be one of the more extreme droughts though, only had 29mm from 1/12/2023 to 24/2/2014

61mm here in Alexandra mate for this period, so yes 29mm is not alot!

[Razor]

Tremendous lightning strikes observed towards the mountains driving home from Lincoln at 10pm tonight.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Warm day here with high cloud and light winds but a bit of a NW picked up this afternoon. A light shower here around 7pm was all the rain we got but lots out to sea where it's not needed. 28.5C for today. Dry southerly through just before 10pm.

[mikestormchaser]

Was lightning over the Canterbury bight tonight. Small convergence and warm sea surface temperatures kicking it up

[Nev]

But this summer would have to be one of the more extreme droughts though, only had 29mm from 1/12/2023 to 24/2/2014

According to NIWA, Medbury has recorded 61.0mm so far this summer to 9am yesterday (incl. the 32.6mm you posted for Dec)...

[spwill]

3mm here today, looks like South Auckland did better for rain. The dew point was in the low 20s.

[David]

3mm here today, looks like South Auckland did better for rain. The dew point was in the low 20s.

Yes a rather disappointing system here so far, 5.8mm locally taking the MTD total to 10.6mm. Hopefully some better rain tomorrow. Very humid for a time afternoon when the sun came out, dewpoint on my station jumped above 23 for a moment!

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Fine day initially but clouding up gradually during the afternoon from the inland out to the coast with drizzle and clagg settling in this evening. Light SE to east winds. 20.5C for today.

[darcyplumb]

Woooooo a bit of a shake for us Canterbury folk just now. 4.7, 25km west of Methven.

[darcyplumb]

Woooooo a bit of a shake for us Canterbury folk just now. 4.7, 25km west of Methven.

Edit Geonet have revised to 4.9.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Nothing felt here?
....anyway it was a partly cloudy to cloudy day here with light winds, clouding up more so later in the day with some drizzle this evening.
22C for today.

[Razor]

Woooooo a bit of a shake for us Canterbury folk just now. 4.7, 25km west of Methven.

5.1 through towards Taylor Range. Slow gentle wobble here in Halswell

[trickytiger]

Woooooo a bit of a shake for us Canterbury folk just now. 4.7, 25km west of Methven.

5.1 through towards Taylor Range. Slow gentle wobble here in Halswell

Was a slow gentle wobble in temuka also, more of a vibration than a wobble

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Was a slow gentle wobble in temuka also, more of a vibration than a wobble

That's probably why I didn't feel it, or take any notice of it here in Geraldine.
....anyway these postings should be in the Seismic section in the Off Topic section in this forum as earthquakes are not weather related.

[Razor]

Few showers popping up around Mid and North Canterbury. A brief but heavy one just swept through Lincoln Uni

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Some drizzly showers contributing to the rain here this morning but nothing for the rest of the day.
Even though staying rather cloudy, rain seemed to stay north of Geraldine today. Light SE here today with a maximum of 20.6C.