NZ Weather Forum

Aaron J Wilkinson wrote: Sorry, but whats a tephigram?

Its the graph with the vertical sounding on it. Americans call it a skew-T.

BTW, Steven, is there any database type function with your tracker software? I was thinking that a very interesting possible output would be a map showing the last 24 hours (or 12 hours) with strikes plotted in a colour according to each hour in which they occurred - eg yellow for 1pm to 2pm, orange for 2pm to 3pm, etc. That way we could look back on the storm development over the entirity of the event, rather than just focussing on near real time stuff.

Ahh I see. Can you drive one ? I'm guessing you mean I know how to read it? I hope

I've been saying it wrong! Now, how to pronouce it is the question..

I'm sure Steven G can pull up an archive of all the strikes of today (past 12 or 24 hrs etc). To have an archived database, great idea! I leave that to Steven G.

Steven G, when you tweaked the tracker today it became really accurate!! Bravo..

We had lots of hideous rain today thats all

Here are a couple of video frame captures of lightning from around 3pm that I've found on tape. I missed the best strike I saw while changing tapes

The other picture is a wide-angle shot of the Cb to the SW.

I'll release a new version of my offline viewer along with today's data file tomorrow. It will let you show all strikes or replay them coloured by age.

I'll look at time coding all strikes by hour - I'm not sure how well it will work with the number of them and the way that the strikes moved west and then back east again !!!

After I'd corrected the ranging, it recorded 1847 strikes between 2pm and 3pm, 8473 between 3 and 4, with another 3561 between 4 and 5.

Just been going over my video footage for the day.
A Few lightning strikes recorded around Prebbleton and including one CG from Penruddock Rise.
I missed a few good lightning shots from there because in true NZTS fashion, a real classic bolt came down whilst I was changing the battery on the camera
...also another beautiful bolt came down as I was checking the playback on the camera to make sure that I had recorded the bolt that came down previously - what a dum-wit
At 5;35pm , we did get a flash overhead here at home, but it rolled back to in behind the back of the PortHills from here. It was only a CC, a flash and the thunder even though rumbly did sound distant.
Other than that I never saw any lightning but lots of distant rumbly thunder to the SE of Christchurch. Bob Crowder did report a Cb in that direction as he was over in Akaroa today. Driving home around the Birdlings Flat area he did notice a flash flood in the hill area gushing out across the road. He took some photos. Looks as though there may of been a localised down-burst in the area.
Anyway, fine and clear at the moment with alight Wsw.
For the record, I recorded 3.5mm from the 'thundery rain' and 7.4mm from the rain when the southerlies came through from 6:15pm

JohnGaul
NZTS

Metservice have 'Thunderstorms afternoon/evening and at a moderate risk for Canterbury Today!

Had work yesterday and couldnt get it off like i have some other days! nor can i get today! But I did here a couple of rumbles although they sounded distant!

It's now been upgraded to a high risk!! And yes I see cumulus starting to build.

Maybe that rain last night that fell will provid additional moisture as the sun hits the ground today?

It's now been upgraded to a high risk!! And yes I see cumulus starting to build.

You should've seen the towering cumulus/cumulonimbus far to the southeast of Birdling's Flat around 9.30 this morning as I was coming back to Chch. Since we're in a west to southwest flow, it's probably not heading our way, but it was certainly spectacular, like a massive range of snowcapped mountains (certainly more striking than the Alps!) Pity I don't have a digital camera, as I'd certainly post the shots to this thread.

Hi Ben

I noticed on Steven G's lightning tracker this morning strikes out that way as well on the weatherzone sat pics there was a Cb. So it would've been part of that system. I unfortunatley couldn't see it from my position. Hopefully today will give us the goods again, clouds are getting bigger.

Dewpoint is absolutely hopless though (3C), it's a wonder they're there.

Nice cb around here at the moment, especially to the east and south.

But, also here the dewpoint at present is only around 3.5

Camera is ready and the boss thinks I'm out seeing clients all afternoon

So far this morning. Big clouds still brewing.



Hope you get some great action Fujita Phil! (Is your name Phil?)

Aaron wrote:Hope you get some great action Fujita Phil! (Is your name Phil?)

It sure is Mr Hat!

Missed the last storm so I hanging out for something

Ok ok, so I like wearing a hat

Nice gust front developing over near my side of town (I'm in town). Can't really photograph it though due to lots of stuff in the way. Clouds still big and there's a few strikes out there now according to the detector.

It's such a terrible dewpoint though, 0C Whats going on?

1PM radar shows bright patches near Birdling's Flat and Rakaia River Mouth - not far away.

Looking very good today!! nice build ups etc



lets hope there is still something out there after work!

Hey Guys: ...and Gal
IT's 5for today, especially now as the wind has gone back to the NE
Great Cb towers going up around BP and Bob Crowder reported a lightning stike near New Brighton about 2:30pm
Another Cb to the south. Few sferics.
I'd imagine in a hour or 2, fingers legs and arse crossed

JohnGaul
NZTS

Hi John

Yes, I noticed the wind went to the NE to and was surprised, dewpoint has risen accordingly. Big clouds about, hopefully a chase after work today!! I like the fingers, legs and arse's crossed thing, lol.

How could I forget my favourite emoticon.

Some great looking skies today, more impressive than yesterday I thought, but a lot less action - as predicted, the air is too dry and the clouds all have very high bases. Interesting to see the contrast between the airmass CBs draped over the ranges and the convective ones which formed over the Plains.

It an't over till the John Gaul screams!

New strike just recorded near Templeton. The atmosphere could be really unstable right now, shear is not the best though. But as you say Tony, not enough moisture is making these storms high based.

Aaron J Wilkinson wrote:It an't over till the John Gaul screams!

I think he does that when he uncrosses his arse...

NZ Thunderstorm Soc wrote:
I'd imagine in a hour or 2, fingers legs and arse crossed

JohnGaul
NZTS

Well an hour or so has gone past and I still have my fingers , legs and arse crossed and things have seemed to 'deteriated' since the NE.
As you say Tony, conditions probably too dry for any decent action.
The clouds did look mighty tho'

JohnGaul
NZTS

Still wouldnt count anything out yet, a few nice strikes south east of CHCH now although they are a way out.

still a nice group of cbs coming up the coast, might be assicoated with the southerly front?

Not looking good
Cb's becoming 'dead' - negative -

On a more positive + note
Akaroa reported 5 thunderstorms today, lucky people



JohnGaul
NZTS

Yup its all over im sad to say

Who knows when we will have another couple of days of such a high likely hood of something happening!