Meteorological Society Of New Zealand (Inc.) · In this talk, the physics behind aerosol forcing was presented along with some recent re- ... This was held jointly with Marine Sciences

ISSN 0111-1736

Meteorological Society Of New Zealand (Inc.)

NEWSLETTER 118

SEPTEMBER 2009

Meteorological Society of New Zealand Newsletter - September 2009 - Page 2

Meteorological Society Of New Zealand (Inc.)

NEWSLETTER 118

SEPTEMBER 2009 PO Box 6523, Marion Square, Wellington 6141, New Zealand

Please forward contributions to Bob McDavitt,

[email protected]

CONTENTS Page

AGM and Financial Report 3-6

Regional Reports 7

2009 Met Soc conference 8-9

2010 NIWA UV Conference 10-12

Stink 12

Kids Weather on the Internet 13

Winter 2009 14-21

Winter – in the media 22-42

Your Committee until the AGM

President Mike Revell [email protected]

Immediate Past President Kim Dirks [email protected]

Auckland VP Jennifer Salmond [email protected]

Wellington VP James Renwick [email protected]

Christchurch VP Vacant

Dunedin VP vacant

Secretary Sam Dean [email protected]

Treasurer Cliff Revell [email protected]

Circulation Manager Sylvia Nichols [email protected]

Journal Editor Brian Giles [email protected]

Newsletter Editor Bob McDavitt [email protected]

Wed Editor Peter Knudsen [email protected]

Hydrological Society Liaison Charles Pearson [email protected]

General Committee

Jim Salinger [email protected]

Stacey Dravitzki [email protected]

Katrina Richards [email protected]

Sally Garrett [email protected]

Gareth Renowden [email protected]

Views and endorsements expressed in this newsletter are those of the contributors and

advertisers, and not necessarily those of the Meteorological Society of New Zealand.

The mention of specific companies or products does not imply that they are endorsed or

recommended by the Society.


THIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL NOTICE OFTHIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL NOTICE OFTHIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL NOTICE OFTHIS IS YOUR OFFICIAL NOTICE OF

OUR 30th OUR 30th OUR 30th OUR 30th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

TO BE HELD IN THE AFTERNOONTO BE HELD IN THE AFTERNOONTO BE HELD IN THE AFTERNOONTO BE HELD IN THE AFTERNOON

OF WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2009OF WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2009OF WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2009OF WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2009

AT main conference room, NIWA, Greta PointAT main conference room, NIWA, Greta PointAT main conference room, NIWA, Greta PointAT main conference room, NIWA, Greta Point

Wellington.Wellington.Wellington.Wellington.

StartingStartingStartingStarting AT 3pm with a presentation of a report AT 3pm with a presentation of a report AT 3pm with a presentation of a report AT 3pm with a presentation of a report

from this year’s Met society from this year’s Met society from this year’s Met society from this year’s Met society

weather presentation awards committee. weather presentation awards committee. weather presentation awards committee. weather presentation awards committee.

FollowedFollowedFollowedFollowed by refreshments.by refreshments.by refreshments.by refreshments.

Visitors to NIWA, please sign in at reception

All financial members are invited to attend or send in an apology to [email protected]

If you wish to raise an item for the agenda or to nominate a fellow financial member for a position on the committee then please let one of the committee know beforehand.

To help members prepare for the AGM here are the accounts for the Society for the financial year ending 31 July 2009:





RECENT SEMINARS OPEN TO OUR AUCKLAND MEMBERS AEROLSOLS: PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY AND CLIMATE IMPACTS Physics Department Seminar, 11am Tuesday 21 July given by Professor Michael Box, School of Physics, University of New South Wales. The Earth's climate is maintained by the atmospheric flows of solar and terrestrial radiation, which have almost no spectral overlap. Any change in atmospheric composition, or surface reflectivity, which alters one or both of these flows is usually referred to as radiative (climate) forcing. The best known, and best understood, of these forcings is the impact of increasing levels of greenhouse gases on terrestrial (thermal) radiation, with a current estimate of about 2.5 Wm-2. Atmospheric aerosols, small particles of natural or human origin, are the second key forcing agent. As well as reflecting some solar radiation back to space, they may also modify both the albedo and lifetime of clouds, again reflecting solar radiation. Both of these processes partially counteract the effects of greenhouse gases a negative forcing. Unlike the greenhouse gases, aerosols are extremely heterogeneous: not only in space and time, but also in their optical/radiative properties. Black soot absorbs solar radiation, rather than reflect-ing it, causing local heating. Mineral dust is a mild absorber, with a question as to its net ra-diative effect cooling or warming. Australian desert dust, much redder than northern hemi-sphere deserts, is a major unknown. In this talk, the physics behind aerosol forcing was presented along with some recent re-search results. *************************************************************************** 1000 YEAR CLIMATE RECONSTRUCTION FOR CENTRAL EUROPE BASED ON A MULTI PROXY APPROACH School of Environment seminar presented 1:05pm Thursday, 1 Oct by Rüdiger Glaser, Univer-sity of Freiburg The presentation compared the research results of historic climatology approaches regarding temperature development within the last 1000 years to scientific data derived from "natural archives". Climatological reconstruction for the past 1000 years can, at least for Europe, pres-ently be based upon time series derived from documentary data. Far-reaching conclusions concerning temperature development or specific phases such as the "Medieval Warm Period" can be drawn. As to more comprehensive data sets for the period to follow 1500, numerous regional european studies draw an even more differentiated picture of temperature and pre-cipitation developments. Based upon extensive archive research results, substantial data-bases could be created and are partly accessible via internet (www.hisklid.de). A comparison of common millenial temperature reconstruction approaches, such as those based on dendrochronological data and those based on climate simulations, was presented. http://www.sgges.auckland.ac.nz/seminars/2009/Glaser_011009.pdf *************************************************************************** WHAT'S HOT ON SNOWBALL EARTH? School of Environment seminar presented 1:05pm Thursday, 15 Oct by Professor Ian Fair-child, University of Birmingham, UK. Evidence has steadily accumulated that the Earth has experienced extreme glacial states, with ice sheets reaching sea level in the tropics. This happened at least twice during Neoprotero-zoic times when glacigenic sedimentary formations have a practically global occurrence. The


evidence has spawned a number of conceptual models of which Snowball Earth is particularly well known because of its extreme vision of an Earth with a mean annual temperature per-haps tens of degrees below zero Celsius and thick, flowing ice on the oceans. The alternative Slushball allows for open water in the tropics and more readily accounts for non-glacial inter-calations, whereas the HOLIST model, focusing on uncomfortable evidence for short-term temperature change in the tropics, offers a non-uniformitarian high-tilt alternative. Much lit-erature focuses on the rapid stratigraphic fluctuations in carbon isotope values (although these are not restricted to glacial intervals) and the strikingly similar characteristics of many upwards-deepening carbonate units overlying glacial deposits. We are still struggling to un-derstand how the likely pool of 13C-depleted water in the deep ocean links to the observa-tions in shallow water carbonates, whilst some invoke meteoric diagenesis as a key process in the observed geochemical patterns which draws attention to the sparse evidence on surface processes on land. Svalbard is one of the few places where the chemistry of terrestrial envi-ronments was preserved and here Neoproterozoic glacial lake carbonates formed in an envi-ronment similar to the modern Antarctic Dry Valleys. Their oxygen and sulphur isotopes bear witness to a combination of hyperaridity and highly altered atmosphere, consistent with pre-dictions of the Snowball. http://www.sgges.auckland.ac.nz/seminars/2009/Fairchild_151009.pdf

2009 Conference 2-4 September, 2009 Auckland University, Auckland, NZ This was held jointly with Marine Sciences Society. Amongst over 200 talks and posters presented at this conference there were around 36 particularly of interest to Met Soci-ety members: 20 on general meteorology (7 of these mentioned weather patterns), 10 on Cli-mate change and 6 on Air Quality. Delegates came mainly from Universities (50%), re-search Institutes (30%) national and regional government (12%), and the rest represented consulting companies and NGOs or were re-tired scientists. Around 35% of delegates were graduate students, of which nine were partly funded by Met Soc. The conference was opened by hon. Nick Smith (Minister for Climate Change). Met So-ciety members attending this conference also organised their own informal dinner on the Thursday (as well as attending the confer-ence dinner on Friday). Met Society funded three prizes: Best oral presentation in atmospheric sciences (Open category) : Ben Liley - NIWA, Lauder: Solar Energy anywhere in New Zealand Sponsor: NZ Meteorological Society

See http://www.niwa.co.nz/news-and-publications/publications/all/wa/13-4/solar


Best student oral paper in atmospheric sciences: Aaron Herber - Auckland Univer-sity: Cloud Motion from MSIR satellite data using novel stereography and model data Sponsor: NZ Meteorological Society

Overall best student oral presentation: Leigh Tait – University of Canterbury: Shinning some light on biodiversity-ecosystem function in benthic algal assem-blages: diversity matters CoSponsors: NZ Meteorological Society and

NZ Marine Sciences Society

Other Awards NZMSS Award for Outstanding Contribu-tion to Marine Science in New Zealand: Pamela Mace – Ministry of Fisheries. Sponsor: New Zealand Marine Sciences So-

ciety

NZMSS Life Membership: Bob Hickman - retired (formerly NIWA) Sponsor: New Zealand Marine Sciences So-

ciety

Other Student Prizes Best student oral paper in marine science: Leigh Tait – University of Canterbury: Shinning some light on biodiversity-ecosystem function in benthic algal assemblages: diversity mat-ters. Sponsor: SeaFIC

Best student oral paper in applied ecology : Meredith Lowe – University of Auckland: Effects of suspended sediments on juvenile fish – murky waters for snapper. Sponsor: Golder Associates

Student oral paper making the best use of quantitative methodology : Hazel Needham – Uni-versity of Waikato:Functional role of Helice crassa in differing sediment environments. Spon-

sor: Ministry of Fisheries

Creativity in Science – oral or poster presentation: Erasmo Macaya – Victoria University: Global phylogeography and taxonomy of the giant kelp Macrocystis. Sponsor: Benthic Science

Limited

Taxonomic awareness and excellence – oral or poster presentation: Kareen Schnabel – Victo-ria University: Biogeography of squat lobsters in the southwest Pacific. Sponsor: Benthic Sci-

ence Limited

Best student poster presentation in marine science: Joe Buchanan – Victoria University: Phy-logeography of the endemic New Zealand alga Carpophyllum maschalocarpum (Fucales, Sar-gassacae) shows the influence of contemporary processes and historical events Sponsor:

SeaFic

Open Prizes (all presentations eligible) Best oral presentation of research undertaken in NZ marine reserves : Nick Shears – Univer-sity of Auckland: Decadal trends in temperate marine reserves. Sponsor: Department of Con-

servation


2010 UV Workshop Notice is hereby given that NIWA will convene a workshop on

“UV Radiation and its Effects: an update (2010)”

This is to be held from 7-9 April at Copthorne Hotel, Queenstown Website is http://www.niwa.co.nz/our-services/online-services/uv-and-ozone/workshops/2010 Workshop Sponsors: NIWA The Health Sponsorship Council / Sunsmart Ministry of Health Royal Society of New Zealand / Ministry of Research Science & Technology Cancer Society of New Zealand

University of Auckland Leading researchers from New Zealand and Austra- lia who have an interest in UV radiation and its health im-pacts will be attending.

Call for Papers We invite contribution on the following topics. UVR Variability and Causes Ozone Depletion in New Zealand Cloud and Aerosol Effects Relationship between Ozone Depletion and Global Warming Future Trends in Ozone/UV UVR in New Zealand, and relationship to other Locations UVR Impacts on Human Health (both positive and negative) Risks of excessive UVR (including skin cancer) Risks of insufficient UVR (including insufficient vitamin D) Dissemination of UVR Information to the Public the Ultraviolet Index balancing the risks and benefits of sun exposure UVR Impacts on Plants/Animals/Physical environment Terrestrial Plants and Animals Aquatic Plants and Animals (oceans and freshwater) Ecosystems Materials (e.g. paint, plastics, textiles) Biogeochemical Cycles Atmospheric Chemistry The list of titles received will be updated regularly on the web site. The closing date for submission of papers is 15 December, 2009.


UV radiation is by nature a crossroads between many disciplines, including atmospheric chemistry and physics, botany, zoology, materials science, and health. Policy advisers, manu-facturers, educationalists, health promoters and the media also have an interest in UVR and its effects. These diverse groups rarely have a chance to interact. The aim of the meeting is to provide a forum for discussion among groups involved with all aspects of the causes and effects of changes in UV radiation. The workshop will include panel discussions to identify future needs for research, policy advice, and health promotion in this area. It will be organised along similar lines to the very successful UV workshops held previ-ously in 1993, 1997, 2002, and 2006, which were sponsored by the Royal Society of New Zea-land, the National Science Strategy Committee on Climate Change, and the Cancer Society of New Zealand. For a summary of the proceedings check website for previous workshops. Because of time constraints, some presenters may be asked to prepare poster presentations rather than give oral presentations. There will be prizes for the best paper and best poster. All presenters are requested to prepare a 2 page extended abstract (in MS Word - follow style of sample on website) of their presentation and to bring it to the meeting. The abstracts will be incorporated without editing into a Summary Report, which will include a bibliography of re-cent research into UV Radiation and its Effects in New Zealand. Please provide bibliography in a standard format (e.g., American Geophysical Union style) or as an Endnote library. The sum-mary will be less than 100 pages and will be distributed to all registrants. It is expected that this document will not include colour. However, we will provide a web version including col-our as for previous UV workshops. If you would like to make a presentation, please provide a title when you send in your registration form. There has been strong interest in the Workshop. As the number of slots available for oral presentation is limited to 40-50, some papers received from now may have to be poster pres-entations rather than oral presentations. The organising committee's decision for oral pres-entations will be based on the date of submission and relevance to the aims of the workshop. Generally, only one oral presentation slot will be available per registrant.

Registration details

Registration Fee: includes room hire, lunches, morning and afternoon tea breaks and a copy of the proceedings (Summary Report).

There are frequent flights to Queenstown. But you need to book early to get good rates. We ask you to provide flight details if known in case we can help with co-ordinating transfers from the airport to Queenstown. Note that space is limited. Registrations will be accepted on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Please register early, as places are limited to less than 100. Please download and print the Registration Form. Fill it in by hand and return it, preferably as e-mail with pdf attachment, or alternatively by fax, or post by 15 December 2009 to Graeme Strang ([email protected]) NIWA Lauder, PB 50061 Omakau, Central Otago, Fax: 03-447 3348, Ph: 03-440 0430.

“Early Bird” received before 15 December 2009 $160

After 31 January $200

Student $100

Workshop Dinner $70


Accommodation: We have negotiated an excellent room rate as part of the conference package offered by the hotel. We encourage all participants to make use of this hotel for at least the nights of 7 and 8 April. The room rate including a cooked breakfast is $120/night (or $90/night for shared room). Bookings will be handled by NIWA as part of the conference registration. We will also accept payment for rooms as part of the registration. However, payment for rooms may also be made at check out time. Rooms can be held only until 6 January 2010, so please register early. All participants are invited to visit NIWA’s atmospheric research laboratory at Lauder Central Otago. Please schedule your visit for either Tuesday 6 April, or Monday 12 April. Lauder is close to the Otago Central Rail Trail, on State Highway 85. It is 40 km from Alexandra and 180 km from Dunedin.

We looks forward to your company and to hosting a stimulating meeting. Organising Committee: Dr Richard McKenzie, NIWA, Lauder (Convenor) A/Prof Robert Scragg, Univ. Auckland (co-convenor) Dr Judith Galtry, Cancer Society (co-convenor) Graeme Strang, NIWA, Lauder (Registrations) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< EMAIL FROM A CRUISING SAILOR MEMBER OF METSOC…. G'day Bob, I'm including an attachment that I'd like to submit for our Met society newsletter. It’s a combo of tongue in cheek and brilliant analysis(if I do say so myself). Those of us who have sailed within the Marshall Island group have experienced the type of weather described. It is often very unpleasant, quite common, and induces much complaint from the Admiral aboard Chameleon. The acronyms were proposed by a cruiser friend Spike aboard Holokai. While it's hopefully funny, I put a bit of time on the indexes which I really think would work in combo with the sounding that Majuro prepares twice daily. TROPICAL INTER-ATOLL SQUALL INDEX PROPOSAL by David Sapiane Distinct weather patterns have been observed and reported by Spike of Holokai between two close Atolls in the Marshall Island Group. Persistent and, at times, intense squalls have been noted between adjacent Atolls which are aligned with the trade wind flow pattern and coinci-dent with above normal lagoon sea surface temperatures (SST). Holokai refers to these events as CRAP weather (Close Range Atoll Phenomena). To forecast the degree of CRAP weather an index is proposed. The STINK Index ( Spikes Theory of INter atoll Kinetics) is of-fered to establish that the bigger the STINK the bigger the CRAP. STINK PARAMETERS AND POINTS Parameter One Point Two Points Three Points Lifted Index 0 to -2 -2 to -4 -4 to -6 K Index 15 to 20 2- to 30 >30 CAPE <1000 1000-2000 >2500 KO Index >6 2 to 6 <2 Lagoon SST <normal normal >normal Trade winds very light light normal Lifted Index: Compares parcel temperature to the environmental temperature at 500hPa K-Index: Sum of lapse rate, 850hPa moisture, and humidity at 700hPa CAPE: Represents atmospheric instability in joules per kilogram ————————————————— STINK INDEX———————————————————-- 6 POINTS=WEAK STINK 12 POINTS=MODERATE STINK 18 POINTS=STRONG STINK *Proposed by Spike of Holokai; Defined by Dave of Chameleon (editors comments—- I had to use Google to find out more about the KO index:)


http://bit.ly/kidwx


Winter 2009 NIWA Winter Climate Summary: the highlights June 2009 was dominated by higher-than-normal pressures over the country, resulting in more frosts and much colder than normal temperatures everywhere. During July 2009, there was a transition towards more southwesterly winds over New Zealand. During August 2009, frequent northerly winds affected the country, resulting in very warm temperatures. Temperature: Near average in many regions; after a cold start to winter, a record warm Au-gust. The temperature averaged over the whole winter was close to average for much of New Zea-land, with the three-month nationally-averaged temperature of 8.3°C being only 0.2°C above the winter mean. However, extreme temperature swings were observed through winter; June and July were colder than normal, followed by a record warm August. Rainfall: Well above normal in Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and Westland. Below normal in the east of the South Island and parts of Wellington, Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa. Near normal elsewhere. Winter rainfall totals were well above normal (between 120 and 150 percent of normal) in the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and Westland. In contrast, winter rainfalls were below normal (between 50 and 80 percent of normal) throughout the east of the South Island, as well as in parts of Wellington, Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa. Rainfalls were near normal elsewhere. Sunshine: A sunny winter for the north and west of the North Island, as well as in the Clutha, and parts of Canterbury and Westland. Rather cloudy in Buller. Major weather events: 16 - 26 June: Freezing southerly conditions brought snow and ice to low levels in Otago and Southland on the 16th. Frosty conditions and very cold temperatures then affected many ar-eas until the 26th. 27 - 30 June: A slow-moving low to the north of New Zealand brought heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms to the northeast of the country, as well as snow to the Central Plateau. A civil defence emergency was put in place in Gisborne on the 30th, as rain continued and rivers rose. 23 - 24 July: A powerful storm brought damaging winds to Wellington and much of the east coast of the North Island (cutting power to over 4,000 people), and heavy rain to Wellington, the Wairarapa and Greymouth, causing road and rail closures, slips and flooding in these ar-eas. 26 - 31 August: Thunderstorms brought heavy rain and lightning to Taranaki, Auckland and the western Bay of Plenty (cutting power to more than 8000 homes). Heavy rain on the 31st resulted in surface flooding across the greater Wellington region. Extremes: The lowest temperature during winter was recorded at Middlemarch, with a minimum tem-perature of -11.7°C on July 19th. The highest temperature for winter was 22.2 °C recorded at Timaru on August 25th. The highest 1-day rainfall was 205 mm, recorded at Te Puia Springs (Gisborne) on June 29th. Of the six main centres, Auckland was the warmest, Christchurch the coldest, Tauranga the wettest but also the sunniest, and Dunedin was the driest. Full details at http://www.niwa.co.nz/news-and-publications/ publications/all/cs/seasonal/sclisum-09-winter/winter09sum_FINAL.pdf For further information, please contact: Ms Georgina Griffiths – Climate Scientist– NIWA National Climate Centre, Auckland Tel. (09)


375 4506 or (027) 293 6545 Dr James Renwick – Principal Scientist– NIWA National Climate Centre, Wellington Tel. (021) 178 5550 Michele Hollis, NIWA Communications Manager Tel. (04) 386-0483 or (027) 255 2500

NOTABLE WEATHER IN NZ - WINTER 2009 The seasons seemed to be working a month ahead of schedule, with winter 2009 really begin-ning with the very cold weather of May, and colder than normal conditions continuing through June and most of July. However, milder weather set in late in July, and spring-like conditions resulted August being the warmest ever recorded in NZ. Nevertheless, all three months were changeable, with several wind, rain, and snow events affecting various areas at different times. JUNE 2nd - Heavy frosts in many areas in wake of very cold southerly outbreak (see June newsletter for details), eg -6C minimum in Middlemarch. 4th - More heavy frosts in many parts of NZ, eg -7C in Waiouru and -3C in Kumeu. 5th - Another frost start to the day, eg -7C again in Waiouru and also Turangi (record June minimum there); -4C in Hamilton; -1C in Warkworth. (also a June record) However, milder westerlies push the thermometer up to 18C in Kaikoura. 6th - Cold southerly change over South island, with some light snow on southern hills. 7th - Cold southerlies ease in eastern areas, after some light snow on high country, including highest peaks of Port Hills. Frosty in sheltered areas, eg -7C minimum in Waiouru; -6C at Man-apouri. 8th - -7C minimum in Ranfurly. Record minimums in Paraparaumu (-4C), Wanganui (-1C), and Wellington Airport. (0C) 9th - Heavy rain in Northland. Northeasterly gales in exposed parts of Dunedin area. Brief morning snow in Mackenzie Country and around Wanaka, due to moist air moving into cold airmass. 10th - Heavy rain in Bay of Plenty, including a one day record of 154mm at Awakeri. 11th - Unusually warm in Northland (eg 20C maximum in Kaitaia); warm unstable air triggers some thunderstorms. (Kaitaia records 84mm) 12th - Some heavy rain in Taranaki and again in Bay of Plenty. A station near Whakatane re-cords 155mm. Northerly gales cause damage in Gisborne area. 13th - Some heavy rain about Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and Nelson. (rain causes slip to block road near Ruatoria) Areas of fog about Cook Strait and in east of South Island. 15th-17th - Very cold southerly outbreak with snow to low levels. (see details below) 18th - Heavy frosts in wake of departing southerly outbreak, eg -8C minimum in Hanmer, -7C in Waiouru, and -5C in Taumaranui and Taupo. 19th-22nd - Cold southerly flow brings showers to many eastern areas, but remaining fine and frosty elsewhere. Minimums include -8C at St Arnaud; -7C in Tokoroa (both 19th) and -7C in Alexandra. (20th) -14C frost at Mt Cook Village on 22nd. Areas of freezing fog in inland val-leys and basins of South Island (also on 22nd), with only 2C maximums in Alexandra and Man-apouri, and a 0C maximum in Wanaka. Icy conditions force road between Tauranga and the Waikato over Kaimai Ranges to close for a time in morning. Edges of Pauatahanui Inlet, Porirua frozen over in morning. 23rd - Heavy frosts continue in many areas, as southerly flow weakens. -4C minimums in Tau-maranui and Hamilton; -3C at Milford Sound. Only 1C maximum in Alexandra; 3C in Queens-town and Milford Sound. 0C in Wanaka at 4pm. Only 2C maximum in Reefton. 25th - Only 2C maximum in Alexandra under freezing fog for much of the day. Freezing fog also in Hamilton until late morning.


26th/27th - Central Otago continues to shiver under freezing fogs, with 0C maximums in Alex-andra on both days. 27th - Fog disrupts flight at Auckland Airport. 28th - Chill continues in Central Otago, with an -8C minimum in Ranfurly. 1C maximum in Al-exandra. Heavy rain developing in many parts of North Island, with thunderstorms in North-land and Auckland. (91mm in Kaitaia) 29th - Heavy rain in east and south of North Island. Southeasterly gales about central NZ, es-pecially about Cook Strait and in the lee of the ranges. Cold southeasterly flow brings snow down to about 300m in Canterbury and (at first) eastern Otago. Icy 1C maximum in Hanmer. Snow closes State Highway 8 between Tekapo and Fairlie. Cold also in Nelson region, with snow on the high country, briefly closing Takaka Hill road. Only 8C maximum in Takaka and 9C at Farewell Spit. 30th - Heavy rain continues in Gisborne and Hawkes Bay, especially in the ranges. Slips dis-rupt roads. Civil Defence emergency declared in Gisborne, as a small settlement nearby is evacuated for a time. Heavy overnight rain also causes flooding in Sawnson, West Auckland, isolating 30 homes. Snow on North Island high country. JULY 2nd - Snow to low levels in some inland areas of South Island, as moist airmass moves in from west while very cold air is trapped in the valleys and basins. 0C maximums in Alexandra and Culverden. Hanmer also record a low 1C maximum, while Greymouth only reaches 7C. Desert Road closed by snow overnight. 3rd - Only 1C maximum in Alexandra, as snow still covers many parts of the area (several schools closed). Severe northeasterly gales for a time in Buller, eg July record 163 km/hr gust in Westport. 4th - Thunderstorms in north of North Island. Tornado damages several buildings in Kaitaia. 5th - Snow above about 400m in inland areas of Otago and Canterbury. About 20cm overnight snow triggers avalanche which closes access road on Mt Hutt. 6th - More thunderstorms in north of North Island. Light snow on Canterbury high country. 9th - -8C minimum at Lake Pukaki Aerodrome. Only 3C maximum at Manapouri, under persis-tent low cloud. 10th - Only 2C maximum in Alexandra. 11th-13th - Deep low brings heavy rain and gales to northeast of North Island (see details be-low) 16th - 0C maximum at Lake Pukaki Aerodrome. 18th - Southwesterly gales about Northland. Heavy rain about East Cape and Gisborne. Over-night and morning snow closes Desert Road. Thick fog closes Christchurch Airport for a time. 19th - Snow showers to sea-level in Southland, South Otago and Dunedin, closing Clinton to Mataura and Outram to Middlemarch highways. Sheltered from the flow, Central Otago is still very cold, with a -11C minimum in Middlemarch. Westerly gales in southeastern North Island, eg 182 km/hr recorded at Cape Turnagain. 20th - Some further snow showers about the Catlins hills in morning. 21st - Northwesterly gales in exposed eastern areas and about Central NZ, eg 85 km/hr at Tara Hills; 158 km/hr at Castlepoint. Mild temperatures as a result of the flow, eg 19C maxi-mums in Timaru and Kaikoura. By contrast, heavy rain about and west of the Southern Alps and also in the northern South Island and in the far south. (31mm in Invercargill) The rain fal-ling as snow for a time about the high country, especially about Arthurs Pass, before turning to rain below alpine areas. Funnel cloud seen in Milford Sound about 2pm. 22nd - 19C maximums in Tauranga and Hastings in a westerly flow. 23rd-24th - Trough brings stormy weather, especially about Central NZ. (see details below) 26th - Heavy frosts in many areas, eg -6C minimum at St Arnaud; -4C in Timaru. 0C minimum is a record for Warkworth. 27th - Another frosty start to the day in many parts of NZ. -6C minimum in Timaru; -4C in Dan-


nevirke. 28th - -5C minimum in Timaru. 30th - Heavy rain in Fiordland, eg 125mm at Milford Sound. 31st - Heavy rain about and west of the Southern Alps, falling as heavy snow in alpine areas. Northwesterly gales in some eastern areas and in the south of the North Island. Warm 19C maximums in Ashburton, Christchurch, and Napier; 20C in Rangiora. AUGUST 1st - Some thunderstorms with heavy rain in the central North Island and Taranaki. Small tor-nado reported in South Taranaki, while lightning bolt creates small crater in Stratford. 19C maximum in Napier, but only 5C at Milford Sound. Snow in Fiordland closedHomer Tunnel. 2nd - Heavy snow continues in southwest high country of South Island; avalanche keeping Mil-ford Road blocked with more than 100,000 tonnes of debris. (not cleared until 11th) 3rd - Snow closes Desert Road for a time in morning. 5th - Thunderstorms on South Island West Coast. 6th - -6C minimum in Ranfurly. Only 5C maximum at Milford Sound. 7th - Morning fog about Gisborne, disrupts airport operations for a time. -5C minimum in Ti-maru. Only 6C maximum in Alexandra, but a warm 20C in Hanmer, and 18C in Ashburton. 13th - Heavy rain developing in Northland, plus northeasterly gales in exposed northeastern coastal areas. Unseasonable 19C maximum in Wanganui, thanks to fohn northeasterly. Ar-thurs Pass records an unseasonable 13C maximum. 14th - Northeasterly flow brings unusually warm temperatures to southwest of North Island, eg 19C maximum in Kapiti and Lower Hutt, and 18C in Levin. Heavy rain and northeasterly gales ease in Northland. 15th - Summery 21C maximums in Wanganui and Paraparaumu (August record in latter); 20C on Whangarei; 19C at Kelburn. 16th - Unseasonably warm 18C maximum at Milford Sound. 17th - 19C maximums in Murchison and Kawerau. Some heavy rain about the Gisborne and Hawkes Bay ranges. 19th - Fresh snow in central North Island, down to the summit area of the Desert Road. 24th - 20C maximum in Wanganui. 25th - Heavy rain about and west of the Southern Alps and Taranaki/central North Island. 260mm recorded at Awakino in 24 hours; 163mm at Arthurs Pass, and 82mm at Takaka. Northwesterly gales about central NZ and some exposed eastern areas. Warm in many eastern areas under the northwesterly flow, eg 22C maximum in Timaru and 25C in Culverden. 26th - Warm 25C maximum in Hastings. Evening thunderstorms in north of North Island and Mt Taranaki. Lightning strikes cut power to more than 8000 homes in Western Bay of Plenty. 27th - Thunderstorms on South Island West Coast. Snow down to entrance of Homer Tunnel in Fiordland. By contrast, 20C maximums in Napier and Gisborne. 28th - Another unseasonably warm day in many places, eg 22C maximums in Napier and Kaikoura, 21C in Whangarei (August record maximum), and 20C in Takaka. (also an August record) West or northwest gales in exposed eastern South Island and lower North Island ar-eas. Thunderstorms continuing in Westland, Fiordland, and also Stewart Island. 29th - Warm spell continues in eastern areas, eg 22C maximum in Napier. Record August maximum of 18C in Waiouru. 30th - 22C maximums in Gisborne, Napier and Hastings, as warm northwesterlies continue. 30th-31st - A period of northwesterly gales about central NZ and some eastern areas of South Island. Heavy rain also affects some northern and western areas overnight 31st, with flooding and slips in areas adjacent to the Tararuas, and a slip closing a road near Waitomo. Totals in-clude 53mm in Paraparaumu, 43mm in Ohakune, and 101mm at Wallaceville. Westport re-cords an August record 100 km/hr wind gust. Unseasonably warm in many parts of North Is-land, eg 20C maximums in Dargaville and Kumeu (August record at latter station), 21C in Gis-borne and Wairoa, and 20C in Palmerston North.


MAJOR EVENTS 15th-17th June - Very cold southerly outbreak with snow to low levels A very cold southerly outbreak swept over NZ during this period, concentrating its impact on the far south with heavy snow about Dunedin and South Otago. A west to southwest flow covered the country on the 15th, with temperatures becoming in-creasingly cold in the far south with snow levels lowering on the hills of Southland. By evening it was cold enough for snowfalls to reach sea-level in Southland, South Otago and Dunedin. The snow continued in these areas through to the next afternoon. Falls were light in South-land, but heavier in South Otago and about Dunedin (where the maximum temperature for the day was only 4.0C) Settling to sea-level, the snow caused considerable disruption to roads and many schools were closed. The very cold air swept over the rest of NZ during the next day, with snow showers falling to low levels in eastern areas as far north as Hawkes Bay and the central North Island. Flurries were reported in Masterton and Dannevirke, while the Rimutaka Hill Road was closed for a time. Ngawi recorded its lowest ever June maximum of 6C, while Le Bons Bay on Banks Penin-sula recorded its June equal lowest maximum of only 4C. A cold south to southwest flow still covered the country on the 17th with snow showers still falling to low levels in some areas, but it eased considerably. It did remain cold, with Kaitaia recording its lowest ever June maximum of 11C, while Dannevirke shivered with only a 5C maximum. In areas sheltered from the flow, harsh frosts were recorded, with low minimum temperatures including 0C at Port Taharoa and Le Bons Bay (both June records for those sta-tions), -1C in Te Puke, and -5C in Blenheim. Mean sea-level analyses for midday NZST 15th June to midnight NZST 17th June in 12 hour steps are shown here.


11th-13th - Deep low brings heavy rain and gales to northeast of North Island A deep low of sub-tropical origin moved southeastwards northeast of the North Island during this period, resulting in period of severe gales and heavy rain in some northeastern areas of the island. The low, which had developed and deepened near new Caledonia over the previous two days, spread an increasing easterly flow over the north of the North Island on the 11th. Heavy rain developed in Northland during the day, with winds rising to gale and heavy swells pounding the east coast. The storm resulted in tragedy when a girl was killed by a tree falling on the caravan where she was, north of Whangarei. However, a family group of pig hunters were res-cued the next day in bush southeast of Kaitaia. Cloud cover also suppressed daytime maxi-mum temperatures, with record lows of 10C in Kaitaia and 8C in Pukekohe. Further south, heavy rain and east to southeast gales lashed exposed areas from the Hauraki Gulf to East Cape on the 11th/12th; severe gales blasting some areas, including the lee of the Kaimai and eastern Bay of Plenty/East Cape ranges. Heavy rain eased in northern areas on the 12th, but set in about East Cape/Gisborne. Meanwhile, also on the 12th, an anticyclone well to the south of the South Island pushed a cold southeasterly flow onto southern and central NZ, with fresh snow above 300-400m in the east of the South Island and later on the North Island high country. The rain eased in the Gisborne/East Cape area on the 13th, as the southeasterly flow eased over the North Island, and tended southerly. The cold airflow delivered more snow to the high country; ice and snow briefly closing the Desert Road, and making the Napier-Taupo highway marginal for a while. Mean sea-level analyses for midday NZST 11th July to midnight NZST 13th July in 12 hour steps are shown here.


23rd-24th July - Trough brings stormy weather, especially about Central NZ. An active trough crossed NZ during this period, with the worst weather (rain and gales) be-ing concentrated in central NZ and causing much disruption in Wellington. The trough deepened as it moved onto the country on the 23rd. A mild northwesterly flow (19C maximum in Hastings and 18C in Kaikoura) increased in strength over northern and central areas, ahead of the first cold front, reaching gale force in southern North Island. The front brought a period of heavy rain to the South Island West Coast, with flooding and slips causing some damage around Greymouth. As the front approached the North Island later in the day, rain also became heavy in the southwest of the island. The heaviest falls were in the Tararuas and other areas in the north of the Wellington region. This rain caused flooding and slips which disrupted road and rail transport around Wellington and the Wairarapa, as well as damaging some properties. Northwesterly gales (gusts around 130 km/hr in Wellington) also contributed to the dam-age. The trough moved onto the upper North Island by early on the 24th, with a period of moder-ately heavy rain there (aggravating an existing slip at Bucklands Beach, east Auckland), plus northwesterly gales in Gisborne/East Cape area. Meanwhile, a colder southerly flow spreading over remaining areas during the day, with some brief hail in eastern areas and light snow showers on the high country. Gisborne dropped from a mild 18C maximum to 10C by 3pm as the change arrived. The flow eased in the evening, as the trough moved off the north of the North island. Mean sea-level analyses for midday NZST 23rd July to midnight NZST 24th July in 12 hour steps are shown here.


Ben Tichborne MONTHLY WEATHER NOTES FOR CHRISTCHURCH - WINTER 2009 JUNE Lower than normal rainfall in Christchurch disguised a month which saw a lot of cold damp weather under frequent onshore (especially southerly) airflows. There were only a few milder than normal days, and the brief sunny spells were marked by frosty nights. The main event of note during the month was a very cold southerly on the 16th, which brought hail and sleet, plus some brief snow flurries to the city. Snow settled lightly above about 300m on the Port Hills, with heavier coatings about the outer Banks Peninsula hills. JULY For the greater part of the month, the weather was rather similar to June, with colder than normal temperatures and several periods of drizzle and light rain. Snow fell higher Banks Peninsula hills and to lower levels about the inland high country on several occasions. How-ever, the second half of the month was somewhat more settled, with some mild days as air-flows tended west or northwest. The 31st saw temperatures almost reach 20C in the city. AUGUST Winter 2009 may have started early, but it seemed to have ended early too. A virtual absence of cold southerly winds, and a predominance of airflows between north and west (except for some days of dull, cool northeasterlies mid-month) resulted in a much warmer than average August. And it was drier too - only a few brief falls of rain occurred, though the rain was in-tense enough in the early hours of the 31st to result in some surface flooding.


METEOROLOGY IN THE PRESS Record cold in May and more chill to come ONE News | Jun 3, 2009 http://aftermathnews.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/new-zealand-shivered-last-month-in-the-lowest-may-temperatures-ever-recorded/

The national average temperature of nine degrees was 1.6 degrees below the long-term average for May. NIWA says extremely low temperatures, between two and 2.5 degrees lower than normal, were re-corded over most of the South Island, lower parts of the North Island, King Country, Waikato, Auckland and parts of Northland. Most other locations experienced well below average temperatures between 1.2 and two degrees lower than normal. The lowest temperature during May was minus

seven degrees recorded at Hanmer Forest on the 12th. The highest temperature was 23 de-grees recorded at Christchurch on the 16th. NIWA is warning we can expect below average temperatures in many regions in June. (Abridged)

Wet May heralds long, boggy winter By Neal Wallace on Mon, 8 Jun 2009 Otago Daily Times

Wet weather in May has thrust farms in to mid-winter conditions

such as these Taieri dairy cows grazing a crop. Photo by Peter

McIntosh.

Otago farmers are hunkering down for what some expect to be a long, wet winter. May rainfall over much of the province was double the long-term average, soaking soils, slow-ing grass growth and making ac-cess around farms more typical of the end of winter than the start.

Warepa farmer Mike Elliot said ground conditions resembled mid-winter rather than the start. "May really was not a nice month. It has put us back a bit," the South Otago farmer said. Snow arrived on the Central Otago mountain tops heavier and earlier than usual. (Abridged)

'Frosty, settled' weather ahead ROGER MORONEY Hawkes Bay Today 02.06.2009 http://www.hbtoday.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?

storyid=3798378&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=

Sunday's low snow flurries, which smeared Te Mata Peak and even speckled Napier Hill, were rarities and not portents that the region was in for an Antarctic-like winter. Seven-year-old Hannah, left, and 9-year-old Sam Perry-Purchas of Havelock North having icy fun

on the peak on Sunday.


`Ìt was just a particularly cold southerly,' MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said today. ``The seasonal forecast was for a cool start to winter, but what you'll see for the rest of the week is more frosty, settled weather,' he said. (abridged)

New label for clouds Wednesday June 03, 2009 NZPA http://tvnz.co.nz/content/2766528 British efforts to find a new label for distinctive layered clouds that form "gravity waves" may not be necessary in New Zealand, says MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt. Meteorologists in Britain are making a bid to have a new classification created for the cloud formation, which the Royal Meteorological Society wants to have named "asperatus" after the Latin word for rough. The scientists want the label officially added to the international scheme used by forecasters to identify clouds. New Zealand meteorologists normally describe the cloud pattern as altocumulus lentincular-ism and one formation of mountain wave clouds is commonly known the "northwest arch" in regions such as Canterbury, McDavitt said. "So maybe no new name is required for such clouds," he said. "There is a whole zoo of cloud forms and changing shapes that occur". McDavitt said there were already 10 or so varieties of cloud, and another 15 "species". The cloud forma-tions at the centre of the debate have un-derbellies like a rough sea. They are typical of clouds that form when there are two layers of different density in the air, one sitting on the other. "The moister, cooler higher layer has cloud in it and the less moist layer is cloud-free," he said. "The boundary be-tween these layers occasionally kicks up, then dips again because of gravity". The northwest arch seen in Canterbury was usually a mix of lenticularis cloud at various lev-els - altocumulus altostratus and cirrostratus. McDavitt said the asperatus label could be used to describe the undulations on the underbelly of the cloud but the current cloud classification system was sufficient to describe New Zealand clouds. If the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) decided to add asperatus as a new species of cloud, "then we will probably use it to describe the times when the underbellies of altocumu-lus lenticularis clouds can be seen to change shape and "undulate" over a period of a time."


Residents endure flood frustrations

Peter de Graaf and Andre Hueber | 10th June 2009 Northern Advocate http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/local/news/residents-endure-flood-

frustrations/3900333/

When Ricky Timms saw council contractors water-blasting Kaeo's main street to clean up after a flood two weeks earlier, the volunteer firefighter had a chuckle to himself. "I told them as soon as they do that it'll flood again." The clean-up was on Monday night; sure enough, by Tuesday morning parts of Kaeo were under water again.

Flooding at Jubilee Road. Whananaki. Picture/Michael Cunningham

MetService forecaster Nic Bonnette said by today most of the rain would have fallen, but some showers would linger until the front moved off in the afternoon. The rain that hit Northland, caused by a slow-moving trough, was significant but not exceptional, she said. According to Northland Regional Council figures, the wettest place in the 36 hours to noon yesterday was Puhipuhi, about 30km north of Whangarei, with a whopping 117mm of rain. It was followed by Kerikeri's Western Hills (87mm), Kaeo East (85mm) and Glenbervie Forest (80.5mm). (Abridged)

No business like snow business By PAUL GORMAN - The Press 15/06/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/2499999/No-business-like-snow-business

NATASHA MARTIN/Timaru Herald

UPLIFTING: Richard Willis and daughter Claudia, 8, of Christ-

church, enjoy Mt Dobson Ski Area's 90cm base on Saturday's opening day with more snow forecast this week MetService forecaster Mark Pascoe said the cold air was go-ing to "stick around for quite some time". "Most of the week it will be cold and it'll probably snow on Banks Peninsula. It'll get pretty low, close to sea-level, proba-bly down to 100 metres. "Tuesday morning will be a pretty rough morning for Dune-din." Blue Skies Weather forecaster Tony Trewinnard said "it will get very cold" tomorrow and the peninsula would "get a few more snow showers". "Temperatures will be significantly cold, in single figures all week with some good frosts inland." The Mt Dobson Ski Area opened on Saturday in fine, clear weather, with about 1300 snow lovers enjoying a 90cm base. (Abridged)

Snow disrupts thousands

ONE News Tuesday June 16, 2009 http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/snow-disrupts-thousands-around-new-

zealand-2786332

Thousands have been disrupted by winter snow around New Zealand on one of the worst days of winter weather so far. The authorities are warning motorists to take extra


care on Tuesday night. In Otago, schools have closed, flights were cancelled and dozens of roads throughout the re-gion have been affected by the conditions. And the polar blast is making its way up the country, closing the Rimutaka Hill Road, north of Wellington. Snow showers on the Desert Road are predicted with as much as 5cm of snow likely to accu-mulate on the road by 8pm Tuesday. One viewer in Blenheim had this to say just after 1pm: "It's snowing snow and ice falling, and only five degrees in Blenheim right now. On the close hills going through from Blenheim to Picton the hills are white with snow. Blenheim doesn't usually get this snow and icy condi-tions. It's freezing, it's bitter." Dunedin was virtually shut down. Many wish they had stayed home when they faced what was close to chaos on Dunedin streets. (Abridged)

Snow closes Rimutaka Hill road

16/06/2009 Stuff/ NZPA http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2505467/Snow-closes-Rimutaka-Hill-road-overnight

The Rimutaka Hill Road north of Wellington was open early tonight after being closed be-cause of snow but may close again later tonight. Snow, black ice and sleet caused traffic chaos in and around the hills of Dunedin this morning. Heavy snow falls in Dunedin caused a number of accidents and closed roads in and out of the city. Snow also closed Dunedin Airport this morning, cancelling a total of 10 flights and the travel plans of 480 people. Dunedin Airport was only rarely closed because of snow, said Air New Zealand airport man-ager Alistair Bevin. The MetService predicted Dunedin would experience slightly warmer temperatures tomor-row. Snow showers would clear by evening for a frosty night but it would be fine tomorrow for north and Central Otago. For the rest of Otago, Southland and Fiordland there would be snow to near sea level, with snow levels rising. (Abridged)

Otago University covered in Snow . Vicki Bradford


Weather kinder but not to be taken lightly ODT Wed, 17 Jun 2009 After a milder night than expected Dunedin po-lice reported no accidents this morning but asked motorists to drive carefully on snow and ice-covered roads around the region. MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said conditions were expected to be drier to-day, making for a frosty morning across the re-gion but it was only a slight coating of white that greeted Dunedin residents today. "You'll have similar cold mornings for the rest of the week." Severe frosts were expected in inland Otago and South Otago this morning. Black ice is highly likely in Southland today and snow on the roads meant extreme care was needed when travelling over the Kilmog to Dunedin and on SH 1 from Balclutha to Clinton. Dunedin viewed from the air above the Stuart St overbridge in Roslyn yesterday morning. Photo

by Stephen Jaquiery.

The southwest front which brought the snow and dropped temperatures to a low of 1degC in the city moved north yesterday afternoon, but not before creating treacherous road condi-tions, closing schools, and delaying or preventing hundreds of people from getting to work or opening businesses. Coastal Otago hill farms were covered by up to 100mm of snow yesterday morning, but farm-ers said ample warning and full hay barns and silage pits meant the storm caused few prob-lems. Abridged

Polar blast sweeps country The Dominion Post 17/06/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/national-news/2506486/Polar-blast

ROBERT KITCHIN/ The Dominion Post

HEAVENLY CREATURE: Glen Lanceley, from Featherston,

makes a "snow angel'' near the Rimutaka summit.

Rugby fans could be forced to sheepishly reach for the win-ter woollies, with temperatures expected to plunge to 4 de-grees celsius for Saturday's grudge match between France and the All Blacks in Wellington. Snow and ice closed roads, schools and airports as an Arctic blast swept up the country yesterday and MetService says there is more to come this weekend. Weather forecaster Ramon Oosterkamp is warning Wellingtonians to batten down the hatches for a southerly storm expected to last till Monday. Foul weather is expected in Wellington for the test match at Westpac Stadium. "Given wind chill factor, spectators at the game should prepare for four-degree temperatures," Mr Oosterkamp said. Minimum temperature in Wellington Yesterday: 1C, Today: 3C Coldest temperature recorded in June for Wellington: -1.2C in 1919. The lowest temperature recorded in New Zealand was on July 3, 1995, -21.6C at Ophir, Central Otago. (Abridged)


Shore freezes over and more to come By TANYA KATTERNS - The Dominion Post 20/06/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/latest-news/2518791/Shore-freezes-over-and-more-to-come

NICOLA CUSTANCE

PRETTY SLICK: Pauatahanui Inlet displays an unusual frozen

shoreline.

It was fine weather for polar bears, but not so hot for hu-mans. In the lower North Island, Paraparaumu woke up to a frozen -6.7C and the sea froze over on the shoreline of Pauatahanui Inlet. With the shortest day of the year tomorrow, MetService is warning that frigid days are not over yet. The lowest air tem-perature was recorded in Tongariro a chilling -8.6C, though an estimated -11C "on the ground". Nelson was also bearing the brunt of the cold snap with a thick white frost and -10.6C ground temperature early yesterday. Masterton recorded -6.2C, Levin -5.6C and Kelburn -1.6C. However, most roads remained open. Some streets in the

Central Plateau resembled ice-rinks, but after a layer of grit was laid there were no closures. The Rimutaka Hill Road was closed on and off throughout the morning as contractors cleared sleet and ice. Abridged

Insurance bills to soar By LOIS WATSON - Sunday Star Times 21/06/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/2520757/Insurance-bills-to-

soar The insurance industry says premiums have not kept up with repair costs.

Many homeowners face steep premium increases as insur-ance companies try to claw back the huge payouts they have made in recent years. In the year ending September 2008, New Zealand insur-ance companies paid out a record $566 million in domes-tic building and contents insurance claims. Industry insid-ers say this level of claims means companies now have lit-tle choice but to increase their premiums if they want to stay in the black. Gary Young, chief executive of the Insurance Brokers' As-sociation, said domestic insurance premiums were defi-nitely rising: "Premium rates have fallen behind the in-creased cost of replacing housing. Over the past five years building costs had increased at a faster pace than insurance premi-ums. Increased frequency of personal insurance claims and weather events such as storms and flooding, combined with economic challenges, have also significantly influenced the cost of claims. Abridged

Wellington shivers as southerlies bite By MICHAEL FOX - Stuff.co.nz 23/06/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2526339/Wellington-shivers-as-southerlies-bite/

Wellingtonians bemoaning the consistent cold weather have been vindicated by new figures released by the MetService.


KENT BLECHYNDEN/Dominion Post

WINTRY BLASTS: Between May 1 and June 21 Wellington

copped 27 southerly days, with 16 of those wet.

"MetService data confirms the talk of the town that Welling-tonians have been experiencing a sustained southerly assault since May", he said. Results show that in the 52 days between May 1 and June 21, Wellington copped 27 southerly days. On top of that, 16 of those days were wet. This compares with 20 southerly days in the same period last year, of which 13 were wet. Dunedin came second with 17 southerly days, and 13 wet ones compared with eight and four last year. Christchurch and Auckland were equal with 13 southerly days. Twelve of these were wet in Christchurch and only nine in Auckland. In the same period last year, Auckland had 13 southerly days, but Christchurch only had five. Mr McDavitt added that playing fields around the country this winter got muddy earlier than normal because of a very wet May. "The hardest place to play weekend sport recently has been in Wellington. Their last dry weekend was the first weekend of May. While temperatures across the country had taken a sharp dive into in May, they were now lev-elling out. The coolest time of the year is likely to be between mid July and early August, as per normal, he said.

Flood fears as district faces continuing rain Monday, 29 June 2009 Gisborne Herald By Marianne Gillingham http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/Default.aspx?s=3&s1=2&id=12499 Rivers were rising and drains around Gisborne city were overloaded as between 80-100 millimetres of rain fell in the 24 hours until 9am today. There was widespread sur-face flooding around the city and across the Poverty Bay Flats. With MetService this morning renewing and upgrading its heavy rain warning for the district, Civil Defence offi-cer Richard Steele was keeping a close eye on the situa-tion. The worst of the rain appeared to be concentrated in the area south of Tolaga Bay. Abridged

Mangapapa resident Arnold Hutchings keeps a concerned eye as the level of Mangapapa Stream

under a footbridge at the back of his home reaches new heights. He was one of several residents

who called The Herald, alarmed at the rapidly rising water in the area this morning. Picture by

Paul Rickard

Rising rivers spark Gisborne flood concerns

Tuesday Jun 30, 2009 NZ Herald By David Kraitzick with NZPA Civil Defence is warning Gisborne area residents to be ready to leave their homes, as river lev-els across the region rise rapidly. Residents from Mangatuna, 65km northeast of Gisborne, are currently being evacuated while those in Te Karaka are being warned of their probable isolation by tonight, said Civil Defence. Gisborne's Civil Defence emergency operation was activated about 9.30am today as rivers


around the Poverty Bay and Uawa catchments rose past warning levels, in the face of continu-ing south-easterly rain. WeatherWatch analyst Philip Duncan said there is a "very high risk of slips and flooding over the next 24 to 36 hours". Rainfall totals have reached the 180mm mark in both the Waipaoa and Uawa catchments, with a further heavy rain warning for another 150mm-200mm in the hills around Gisborne and Tolaga Bay from 8am today until 2pm tomor-row. Yesterday's storm brought more than 1000 bolts of forked lightning to Auckland and Northland, while heavy rain caused slips and flooding, resulting in road closures in the central North Island and Ma-nawatu. Rain also caused slips in the Manawatu Gorge and contractors were called in to keep the road open. The MetService said today the vigorous low that had caused the storm was now sitting north of Bay of Plenty and was predicted to move slowly east or southeast. About 180mm of rain was also expected in the ranges north of Mohaka, in the Hawke's Bay, with snow falling down to about 900m. Snow warnings were also issued for the Desert Road in the central North Island and Porters Pass in central Canterbury. Abridged

MetService Launches New Warning Service Monday, 29 June 2009, 4:35 pm MetService has today announced a new warning service, commencing 1 July, that will warn people of localised severe weather caused by thunderstorms up to two hours in advance. “Individual thunderstorms don't affect big areas like lows or fronts – and they only last an hour or two. But the sheer intensity of the rain, wind or hail associated with them can have a big impact. According to the Insurance Council of New Zealand website, insurance claims re-sulting from the tornadoes in Taranaki in early July 2007 totalled about $8 million, while the cost of a hail storm in Canterbury in November 2008 was about $11 million”, commented Pe-ter Kreft of MetService. “The Severe Thunderstorm Warning service may provide up to two hours notice of such a weather event”, says Kreft. “Warnings will be available by email and on the MetService web-site.” The new service will be invaluable for those managing risk, particularly in the outdoors. Se-vere Thunderstorm Warnings will provide detailed information on the expected track of the thunderstorm and associated severe weather. Warnings will only be issued once severe thun-derstorms have been identified and will be valid for up to two hours. Weather radar is essential for identifying and tracking thunderstorms. Because of this, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings will only be made available to places within 150 km of a weather ra-dar. To make the service available to more New Zealanders, MetService is installing radars in the Far North, Western Bay of Plenty, Mahia and on the South Island West Coast over the next three years. All of New Zealand, including areas that are beyond the range of a weather radar, will continue to be covered by the Severe Thunderstorm Outlook and Severe Thunderstorm Watch. Both of these services are available from MetService’s website, and the Severe Thun-derstorm Watch is also available by email. Thunderstorms occur in varying circumstances over different parts of New Zealand. In inland and eastern parts of both islands, they tend to occur most often in the afternoons and eve-nings of summer and autumn. In the west of both islands, however, they are often associated with vigorous and fast moving cold fronts and can occur at any time of the day and in any sea-son. For more information on how to stay safe in a thunderstorm visit: www.metservice.co.nz


Evacuees prepare to return as floods ease Jun 30, 2009 By Rachel Tiffen, HZ Herald/NZPA A flooded bridge on the East Coast near Tolaga

Bay. / Gisborne District Council

Rain that raised river levels and caused slips on the East Coast has eased overnight, allowing peo-ple evacuated yesterday to prepare to return home. About 500 people faced being cut off in the East Coast town of Te Karaka yesterday, as roads were swamped by flooding and further downpours loomed. Te Karaka residents were told to evacuate homes by 4pm or stay put for the night. Today, the region's Civil Defence head John Davies said homes and most roads had been spared damage from flooding overnight. Gisborne police told NZPA State Highway 35 between Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru Bay was still closed due to flooding but all other roads had re-opened. Further south, heavy rain had also caused slips on SH5 between Napier and Taupo, and SH2 between Napier and Wairoa, but both roads remained open. (abridged)

Motorists warned of wintry conditions http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/63882/motorists-warned-be-prepared-wintry-conditions

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 Otago Daily Times Absolute bedlam ensues at the Speight's Dog

Derby at Coronet Peak yesterday, as competitors

do their best to whistle, yell and beg their dogs to

go up the hill, round the flags and back to the fin-

ish line. Photo by Patrick Fallon.

School holidays, which begin today, are off to a chilly start in the South, with some roads closed by heavy snow yesterday and more snow ex-pected to low levels around the region during the weekend. Southern holiday motorists, par-ticularly those in Central Otago, are being urged to carry chains in their vehicles and check the status of roads before setting out. In Otago, road contracting services, tow truck operators, and police were kept busy yesterday afternoon and evening as the snow settled in and packed into ice. A series of minor car crashes, mostly involving cars sliding off icy roads, were reported around Wanaka and other parts of Central Otago, but no significant injuries were reported. Three passengers in a bus which collided with a car in icy conditions on the Chatto Creek Sprinvale Rd shortly before 9pm were taken to Dunstan Hospital. (Abridged)

Bad weather coming from all directions Saturday July 04, 2009 Source: Newstalk ZB/ONE News Bad weather is expected to attack the country from both ends this weekend. Allister Gorman from MetService says most of the country will be affected by rain. He says there will be persistent showers for Canterbury and Otago with snow down to three to four hundred metres.


For the top of the country rain will spread south from Northland, with thunderstorms possible for Auckland. The weather causing problems for the start of the school holidays with treacherous road conditions around New Zealand. Schools had to start their holidays early but the roads round some dis-tricts were too treacherous for travel. (Abridged) ONE News

Tornado rips into the North Sunday Jul 05, 2009 By Heather McCracken and Anna Leask NZ Herald Damage to roof tiles on a Pukepoto Road home after

the tornado swept through Kaitaia. Photo / John

McLuckie

Twenty homes and a hospital were damaged when a tornado ripped through the Far North yesterday afternoon. Residents were evacuated as the twister made landfall at Ninety Mile Beach and left a trail of de-struction as it headed south east through Kaitaia. "It was like a war zone," said Kaitaia volunteer fire chief Colin Kitchen. "There were trees down every-where, a car got crushed by a tree. One person saw a large picnic table flying through the air and another saw a trampoline. "Most of the damage was tiles and roofs off." The tornado hit Kaitaia about 12.40pm, sweeping across Pukepoto Rd, Worth St and Redan Rd. Four houses on Pukepoto Rd were so badly damaged residents could not go home last night. They were put up in motels. Kaitaia Hospital was also damaged. The roof lifted off the boiler room and part of the admini-stration building. Nurse Katrina Tonks was on her last shift at the accident and medical de-partment when the tornado hit. "A deafening roar started to come through. As I was standing there the ceiling tiles started to shift. The walls were shaking from the suction of the tornado lifting the roof," she said. "Everyone just froze to start with, we weren't sure what was happening. Then everyone started ducking for cover and running to the walls. "The children in the waiting room were screaming." A thunderstorm outlook issued by Metservice at 12.30pm yesterday gave a high risk of thun-derstorms for Northland and Auckland, with a "slight risk of a small tornado or waterspout". MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said Kaitaia was too far north for the tornado to appear on the radar. "We can't see them all, but the ones we can see, we tell you about." Weatherwatch head weather analyst Phil Duncan said almost 1250 lightning strikes between East Cape and Northland between 3pm and 4pm. (Abridged)

New high-tech MetService service allows for better warning system Sun, 05 Jul 2009 TV3 Kaitaia's residents had no warning of yesterday's tornado that ripped the roofs off houses and damaged the hospital. The storm was an incredibly powerful one that went undetected before


zeroing in on a very small area. But in the future they'll be better prepared. The state-of-the-art software in-

creases sensitivity and allows fore-

casters to see things they never could

before

The MetService has a new high-tech weather warning service that's al-ready operating in some regions and will cover most of the country, includ-ing Northland, within three years. State-of-the-art software is applied to existing weather radars, which in-creases sensitivity and allows fore-casters to see things they never could before.

"Severe weather events on a small scale can have just as big an impact on a community be-cause while they're only over a small local area, they are very intense," explains senior fore-caster Peter Kreft. The system is already up and running in Auckland, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. "Just about anyone who manages a weather risk and needs to preserve life or property that is subject to the weather has something to gain from the use of this service," Mr Kreft says. So everyone from builders working on roofs all the way down to contractors working in stormwater drains can benefit from the service.

20 homes damaged: clean-up to take weeks Peter de Graaf | 6th July 2009 Northern Advocate

http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/local/news/20-homes-damaged-clean-up-to-take-weeks/3901009/

Two of the worse-affected homes in Pukepoto Rd.

Picture/Peter de Graaf

The tornado that hit Kaitaia sounded like a train roaring towards the town, according to a man whose roof was ripped off in the weekend's freak weather. The worst damage was on Pukepoto Rd, where Lou Te Haara, 72, lost much of his roof. After a burst of hail he went outside to close the garage

and heard something like a train thundering towards him. "I saw it lifting the water, sucking it out of the river. When I saw the cows running and the trees moving, I went back inside and told my wife, 'Here it comes!' "It was roaring as it came across the paddock. We saw the wishing well on the back lawn get sucked straight up into the air. When it hit the house we ran into the hallway where it's safer. We heard the roof go - the sound was terrible. "I opened the door and all the tiles were on the front lawn and insulation was flying around. I saw it cross the road, hit the houses there, and then the hospital." The tornado is thought to have crossed Ninety Mile Beach around 12.40pm. It raced across farmland before hitting Pukepoto Rd, Worth St and Kaitaia Hospital.


Snow blankets South Island Sun, 05 Jul 2009 TV3 http://www.3news.co.nz/News/NationalNews/Snow-blankets-South-Island/tabid/423/articleID/111313/cat/64/Default.aspx

Parts of the South Island have received their heaviest snow dump this winter.

Areas around Tekapo were blanketed in snow, while in Canterbury and Otago it fell to 300 metres. A cold south-easterly flowing over the South Island is to blame and is one in a long series that's had the country shivering over the last couple of months. Meteorologist Tony Trewinnard says it has not been this cold in decades "If we look back at the month of May the temperatures over New Zealand were pretty much colder than any-thing we'd had since the mid 1950s," he says. "And we look back at the recently completely month of June you

go back to into the '70s before you have a month that had similar cold weather patterns." High country roads and passes have borne the brunt of the weather which is not expected to ease until tomorrow. (Abridged)

Stormy weather hits New Zealand's north July 12, 2009 - Sydney Morning Herald © 2009 NZPA http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/stormy-weather-hits-new-zealands-north-20090712-dh09.html

Severe weather in New Zealand's far north has killed a teenage girl, caused flooding, lifted roofs off houses and brought down trees and power lines. A 15-year-old girl died early on Sunday morning after a tree fell on a caravan she was sleeping in. The accident happened on a rural property at Whakapara, 23km northwest of Whangarei. One other person was in the caravan but managed to escape uninjured, Whangarei police Act-ing Sergeant James Calvert said. The Fire Service was kept busy on Sunday morning dealing with call-outs, northern communi-cations centre shift manager Jaron Phillips told NZPA. A lot of trees were down over roads and power lines were down, he said. A high tide in Ruakaka, 30km southeast of Whangarei, was causing problems as it overflowed onto the road, Phillips said. Roofs were being lifted off houses and a shed had blown over, he said. A Vector power company spokeswoman said customers northwest of Auckland in Warkworth, Wellsford and Kaipara Flats were without power after trees fell on power lines. The MetService has issued a severe weather warning for Northland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, but heavy rain and severe gales were expected to ease later on Sunday. (Abridged)

NIWA developing rain predicting technology

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 TV3 http://www.3news.co.nz/News/NIWA-developing-rain-predicting-technology/tabid/209/articleID/112182/cat/41/Default.aspx

NIWA is developing world leading technology that can

work out where the rain will end up, before it has

fallen

Parts of Northland have just received a month’s rain in 36 hours, and the Bay of Plenty is expecting a drenching tonight. As the weather gets wetter, the threats of flooding and landslides increase. NIWA is developing world leading technology that can work out where the rain will end up, before it


has even fallen. Like many regions around New Zealand, the Bay of Plenty is vulnerable to flash floods. The hills and ranges close to the coast hide a network of quiet streams and rivers that can change into raging torrents. The low lying flat land is quite close to the very steep hill country so when you get the very intense rainfall events the flooding occurs down the rivers and streams very quickly. Regional Councils like Environment Bay of Plenty electronically monitor dozens of stream and river level sites And websites now mean anyone can click on remote locations to find out what's happening. “EBOP is really just trying to get that warning out to people as quickly as we possibly can, so that they can then take actions to get out of the way of any flooding that may arise,” says Bruce Crabbe of Environment Bay of Plenty. But that does not help in places like Matata near Whakatane, that was hit by a massive mud-slide 4 years ago. Here the rain catchments are so steep and so close to populated areas there are still no warn-ing systems in place because there would be no time to act. But now NIWA is developing what it hopes will be a world-leading weather forecasting model. It will warn which rivers are going to flood and where - before the rain has even fallen. The model uses rainfall forecasts, soil saturation levels, river flows and storm surge activity to work out when and where rivers may flood. “If you've got any possibility of reducing damage to somebody downstream you want to make sure you're doing that to the best of your ability - and that is what this is about,” says Mr Bry-ant. “The technology represents more than 25 years of research and development and NIWA hopes to have it operating right around the country within two years.”

Gale force winds cause havoc in Taranaki By HARRIET PALMER - Taranaki Daily News 13 July 2009 CAMERON BURNELL/Taranaki Daily News

Winds of up to 100kmh had Taranaki people scrambling yesterday as trees, power lines and roofs fell victim to fero-cious weather. The airport was closed from 10.30am and about 1200 homes lost power in New Plymouth, Bell Block and as far north as Uruti as fallen trees and wind-blown branches took down power lines throughout the day. Forecaster Chris Noble, of the MetService, said the south easterly wind came from the same deep low which pro-duced wind in Northland of up to 100kmh and killed a 15-year-old girl after a tree fell on the caravan she slept in early yesterday morning. (Abridged) LUCKY BLOKE: Stephen Watemburg struggles against the high winds which tore off his

neighbour's roof in upper Mangorei Rd yesterday afternoon, narrowly missing his home.

Idaburn now cold enough for curling By JOHN EDENS in Alexandra - The Southland Times 14/07/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/sport/2590450/Idaburn-now-cold-enough-for-curling

The first Wilson Cup curling fixture in six years will be played on natural ice today. The mini-bonspiel was given the go-ahead on Sunday when Idaburn Curling Council members drilled the ice at Idaburn dam near Oturehua. New Zealand Curling Association member and Idaburn Curling Council icemaster Stewart McKnight yesterday said the ice was about 15cm thick. (abridged)


Snow-lovers get stuck on Ruapehu after heavy fall Wednesday Jul 15, 2009 By Rachel Tiffen Herald hhttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10584529 Hundreds of drivers had to wait for their cars to be

fitted with chains before they could leave the

mountain. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Dozens of skiers and snowboarders were stuck on Mt Ruapehu last night after heavy snow made it unsafe to drive out without chains - and more snow is on the way. Weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said rain would clear to showers to-day, with snow above 1600m. Whakapapa's carpark sits at 1500m. (abridged)

Death in the snow By KAY BLUNDELL and TANYA KATTERNS - The Dominion Post 16/07/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/2597861/Death-in-the-snow

PHIL REID/ The Dominion

Post

SIGN OF SORROW: Te Papa

flies the New Zealand flag

at half-mast to honour Dr

Bennington, its chief execu-

tive for the past six years.

BARRY DURRANT

LONELY OUTPOST: Kime

Hut in the Tararuas. "It

was a blizzard up there,''

Metservice forecaster Steve

Ready said of the condi-

tions Seddon Bennington

and Marcella Jackson per-

ished in.

As Te Papa boss Seddon Bennington and Marcella Jackson walked to their deaths in Tararua Forest Park, MetService was warning of deteriorating weather. Just hours later, at an altitude of 1400 metres, the pair encountered 80kmh southerly winds that whipped up snow, reduced temperatures to minus 20 degrees Celsius and visibility to al-most zero. "It was a blizzard up there," MetService forecaster Steve Ready said. "Trying to keep yourself upright in such atrocious conditions and with that wind-chill, it would have been horrific." Search and rescue experts say the survival rate in such conditions without a tent would have been "hours rather than days". Police believe Dr Bennington, 61, and his 54-year-old companion never made it to their desti-nation, Kime Hut. They could have died as early as Saturday afternoon, and remained covered in snow till found by searchers yesterday morning. Their bodies were just off the track, a kilo-metre short of the hut and about 300 metres apart. It was unclear whether they had become separated. Neither appeared to have injuries that indicated a fall. "It appears they were over-come by the weather conditions," Inspector Mark Harrison of Palmerston North said. (abridged)


Student dies after wind gust blows him off ute. July 22, 2009Police, Press Release - New Zealand Police There has been a fatal motor vehicle accident in Masterton. At about 5pm on Tuesday, emergency services were notified of an incident on Te Ore Ore Road. Initial enquiries established that a 15 year old male student (the victim in this incident) had been on the back of a farm utility vehicle. The vehicle was being driven by a 34 year old male family friend. The pair had loaded a slat bed frame, a wooden cabinet and a fridge onto the back of the ute and had driven about 200 meters from the young person’s home. The 15 year old was on the back of the ute holding onto the furniture when an extremely strong gust of wind has knocked the young person and all of the furniture onto the road. It ap-pears that the young person struck the road and sustained facial injuries. Emergency staff who attended the scene described the weather conditions as atrocious but localised to that area. (Abridged)

Tornado lifts roofs in Taranaki Wednesday Jul 22, 2009 nz herald http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10585902

View looking up Layard St, Opunake, this morning.

Photo / Mike Smith

Roofs went up and powerlines came down when a tornado hit the south Taranaki town of Opunake last night. The tornado struck about 7.30pm, following a severe weather warning for the area from the MetService. "Generally tornadoes are associated with thunder storms moving through... these small tornadoes are not uncommon in western areas," MetService fore-

caster Chris Noble said. He said New Zealand tended to only get small tornadoes, although they could still do serious damage. Several houses lost their roofs and had windows smashed in last night's tornado, and power poles across Opunake were knocked over. (Abridged)

Stormy weather lashes North Island 24/07/2009 CRAIG SIMCOX/Dominion Post - By REBECCA PALMER, MATT CALMAN, TIM DONOGHUE and KELLY BURNS/Dominion Post with MICHAEL FOX, Stuff.co.nz http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2669407/Stormy-weather-lashes-North-Island

About 300 train passengers were stranded in a tunnel last night after the train's locomotive ploughed into a wall of mud and debris and derailed as it left a tunnel at Maymorn, north of Upper Hutt, about 6.20pm. The impact knocked the engine and one carriage about a metre off the tracks. There were no reports of injury last night. Train driver Adam Ford, still inside his mud-covered engine, told The Dominion Post at the scene last night: "I came into the tunnel and I could not see out the other end. It was a sea of mud. The portal was completely blocked. We slammed into it and slid off the tracks." Commuters in the capital are facing further weather-related chaos this morning, with floods, strong winds and several train lines out of action. Emergency services are mopping up after wild weather last night caused commuter chaos around Wellington, with train passengers stranded by a derailment, slips blocking major roads, and widespread flooding. Overnight the Fire Service received about 45 calls due to flooding - mainly in Porirua, Stokes


Valley, Whitby and Silverstream - and downed trees. This morning, flooding north of Melling on State Highway Two has caused northbound traffic to be reduced to one lane, and flooding has caused the closure of State Highway 53 between Martinborough and Featherston. OFF THE RAILS: About 300 train passengers were stranded in a tunnel after a train's locomotive

ploughed into a wall of mud and debris and derailed, north of Upper Hutt.

ROBERT KITCHIN/The Dominion Post

TRAIN DERAILED MetService said the front that brought the bad weather was now moving away from the coun-try and heavy rain and strong wind warnings have been lifted. MetService forecaster Kathleen Wozniak said the highest rain falls overnight were in the Ta-rarua Ranges, where 253mm fell, and at Dawson Falls in Taranaki, where 223mm fell. Parts of Hawke's Bay received 74mm of rain while Lower Hutt soaked up 47mm worth. The strongest wind gusts were recorded at Mt Kaukau, which copped gusts of up to 142kmh, while Paraparaumu received 110kmh gusts. High winds consistently dogged the coast between Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay, with an aver-age wind speed of 100kmh, she said. The downpour has raised concerns about how bad weather leaves the capital vulnerable. The capital is no stranger to bad weather, but Thursday night was one of the worst ever, with high waves, high winds and heavy rain battering the city. The Chamber of Commerce said that cost to the city, and the country, could be millions of dol-lars. At one point Thursday night, the capital was cut off from the north. For several hours, the narrow Akatarawa Rd between Upper Hutt and Waikanae was the main route north. Jo Bransgrove from the Wellington Chamber of Commerce says that is not what the capital of the country should be like when bad weather hits. "It leaves us as a cut off capital and that's no good, it's no good for us, it's no good for New Zealand," says Bransgrove. (Abridged)

Avalanche risk remains high By Joanne Carroll and Marjorie Cook on Sat, 1 Aug 2009 Otago Daily Times http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/67898/avalanche-risk-remains-high

The risk of an avalanche remains high in the mountains around Queenstown and Wanaka this weekend, and snowboarders and skiers are being warned to stay away from the back country.


The Mountain Safety Council has issued high-risk avalanche warnings for all Queenstown and Wanaka back-country areas. In the Wanaka back country, snow down to 1000m and severe gales added weight to the al-ready overloaded snowpack. Back country travel is not advised. (abridged)

Ski fields on high alert after 2nd avalanche death Mon, 03 Aug 2009 5:33p.m. TV3 By Tristram Clayton http://www.3news.co.nz/-Ski-fields-on-high-alert-after-2nd-avalanche-death-/tabid/423/articleID/115035/cat/64/Default.aspx

The Southern Alps have dealt up yet an-other tragedy to mountain goers with a second avalanche fatality in just two weeks. The two incidents have put ski fields around the South Island on high alert. The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council says new snow, frozen rain and warm wind have created an extreme avalanche risk. Dan Kennedy, head of Mt Hutt ski patrol, says backcountry skiers need to take extra precautions. “If they want to go out back country they need to advise patrol but

most importantly they need to have a transceiver, a shovel and a probe and know how to use them and make sure they never travel alone,” he says. Mr Wilson says most people caught in an avalanche survive the initial impact. If someone trapped is not rescued within 18 minutes their chances of survival drop to just 10 percent. Mr Kennedy says if people carry a transceiver and get trapped in an avalanche, they can be located in around three minutes. Weather forecasters predict north-westerly winds which means the risk of avalanches in the Southern Alps remains high. (abridged)

Milford road still closed by slides By Joanne Carroll on Tue, 4 Aug 2009 ODT Snow remains on the side of the road near Lake Fraser on the way to Hollyford after an avalanche. Photo by NZPA Milford Sound, one of New Zealand's premier tourist destinations, is likely to be cut off to road traffic until tomorrow because trees and snow up to 5m deep in places are blocking State Highway 94. The main road between Te Anau and Milford Sound has been blocked by avalanche debris periodically since last Wednesday and numerous times in the past two weeks due to avalanche control work. The avalanche risk has been high in the Queenstown and Wanaka backcountry areas for the past two weeks . The Mountain Safety Council website www.avalanche.net.nz gives avalanche conditions for the main ski areas throughout the country, but does not include the Fiordland region. (abridged)

Mild, wet weather brings forth smiles in drought

OUR WEATHER WATCHERS | 17th August 2009 Hawke’s Bay Today


http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/mild-wet-weather-brings-forth-smiles-in-drought/3902920/

WET WET WET: Dismal weather greeted

this whitebaiter on Ngaruroro River

for the start of the season.

When skies darken and the rain falls ... and falls ... and falls, it is standard practice for most people to make remarks like ``rotten weather''. But not Raukawa resident Alison Greenwood and her neighbours, who have spent the past three days smiling. `Ì've been enjoying the weather because it's been raining,'' Mrs Greenwood said. ``We were having a drought,'' she added.

But three days of consistent rain _ nearly 20mm of it over the past 48 hours on her patch, as well as mild temperatures, had effectively knocked drought conditions on the head as there were already good signs of growth about. Norsewood resident Lyn McConchie, who has been keeping weather records for more than 20 years, agreed. ``We've got good grass coming through already,'' she said, adding the conditions were similar to what she would usually see in early September. `Òver the last 48 hours there has been 44mm and it's misting heavily today ... no drought in Norsewood.'' (Abridged)

Start of the golden weather By EMMA PAGE - Sunday Star Times Last updated 05:00 23/08/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/2778444/Start-of-the-

golden-weather

Photo: Kevin Stent Raniera Sisley and her brother Toatoa get in some practice for summer on the Petone fore-shore. IF you thought there was a hint of spring in the air, you're right. After an extremely cold winter, temperatures for the first few weeks of August have been one to two degrees warmer than normal around the country. Last week, magnolias and cherry blossoms were out in style in Auckland, and daffodils and other spring bulbs were bravely begin-ning to bloom in Wellington and Christ-church. Senior climate scientist Georgina Griffiths from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said that after the re-cord-setting cold month of May, and a chilly June and July, spring was beginning. "Spring has sprung a wee bit early and the expectation is everything is back to normal." Spring is usually considered to start in September and go through to November. But it may not be such good news for summer and the Christmas holidays. Waiting in the wings is an El Nino weather pattern a temporary increase in sea temperatures in the Pacific that arrives at irregular intervals every few years and causes weather changes around the globe. Griffiths said Niwa was watching the seas in the tropical South Pacific and the corre-sponding changes in the atmosphere, which were currently looking "El Nino-like". If the El Nino conditions continue to intensify it would mean more frequent and stronger


south-westerlies, and the possibility of drought for the northern and eastern areas of both is-lands as higher temperatures and the wind dried out the soil. Not every El Nino is the same but the weather pattern generally means cooler summer air and sea temperatures for most of New Zealand which could be a dampener for holiday makers. "Going swimming in an El Nino can be notably cooler," said Griffiths. But some areas are likely to escape the cool El Nino weather, especially northern and eastern regions in-cluding Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury, because the wind tends to become dry and warm up as it travels over hills. (Abridged)

Spring is in the air The Timaru Herald 25/08/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/2783681/Spring-is-in-the-air

JOHN BISSET/Timaru Herald THE COLOURFUL TOUCH: Yesterday's high of 15C was warm enough for Timaru's Charlee Charles, 3, to enjoy the spring blossom on Kent St. The tropical weather which South Canterbury is basking in is set to continue today, with the MetService predict-ing a balmy 19 degrees Celsius.

Fierce electrical storm hits Auckland

Thursday August 27, 2009 Source: ONE News

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/fierce-electrical-storm-hits-auckland-2949510

ONE NewsLightning over Auckland Many Aucklanders were woken over Wednesday night as a fierce electrical storm hit the area with loud thunder, lightning flashes and heavy rain in some places. A total of 939 lightning strikes were reported in Auckland over a 24 hour period, setting off a number of fire alarms, although no major damage was re-ported. Strong westerly winds and showers are forecast for much of the country on Thursday. MetService is warning of severe westerly gales on

Thursday for eastern North Island areas south of Hastings. It says the winds have the poten-tial to damage trees and powerlines and make driving hazardous, especially for motorcycles and high sided vehicles.

Lightning strike wrecks home

Thursday Aug 27, 2009 By Isaac Davison NZ Herald The severe thunderstorms which cut power and demolished property in parts of the North Island will give way to warm, fine weather this weekend. MetService warned of intermittent thundery weather until Saturday and gale-force winds on Sunday. But in between stormy spells it expected clearer conditions.


Sam Johnston, son of the homeowner,

sits on what remains of the garden

wall. Photo / Alan Gibson

The vicious storm early yesterday morning cut power to 8500 homes in the Bay of Plenty, as well as breaking windows and damaging prop-erty. A bolt of lightning destroyed a concrete wall and steps at a house in Tauranga, throwing debris into the air. "I used to work in Belfast and the only thing I've heard that loud was explosives," said home-owner Sam Johnston. "Inside ... papers flew in the air, and socket points blew off the wall across the living room, all melted." Weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said 150 lightning strikes were recorded in Western Bay of Plenty over a two-hour period. The warm, unsettled weather was typical of spring, said Weatherwatch analyst Philip Duncan, and had arrived a month earlier than expected. He said the drier conditions would be of con-cern to farmers. (abridged)

Wind back with a vengeance By STACEY WOOD - The Dominion Post 27/08/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/2805102/Wind-back-

with-a-vengeance

ROSS GIBLIN/The Dominion Post HANGING ON FOR DEAR LIFE: "I was in danger of losing my beanie into the sea a number of times,'' says John Silvester of his windy walk. Hold on to your hats, those winds are set to continue. Wellington winds returned with a blast on Tuesday night and look set to bluster on until Sunday. Wellington man John Silvester took a helping hand from runner Bernie Portenski and her friends when he was caught in high winds on his morning walk yesterday. Mr Silvester said it was the strongest wind he had encountered on the point. A front pushing a heavy band of rain passed over Wellington between midnight and 4am yesterday, dumping 30 to 35 millimetres of rain over the region in about four hours. Wind gusts reached up to 159kmh on Mt Kaukau. The Rimutaka Hill summit and Kelburn endured gusts of 120kmh and 110kmh, and most of the region was hit by gusts of more than 100kmh. MetService forecaster Cameron Coutts said strong winds of up to gale force were likely to con-tinue until Sunday. "It's typical spring, equinoxal weather, lots of wind but pretty fine." (Abridged)

Winds cut power at Mount by Carly Udy | 28th August 2009 By of Plenty Times High winds caused power cuts to around 2400 properties in Mount Maunganui yesterday. Powerco Network operations manager Phil Marsh said outages started about 3.40pm and af-


fected customers in and around central Mount Maunganui and Omanu. MetService forecaster Oliver Druce said Tauranga received strong westerly winds yesterday with gusts of up to 70km/h recorded at Tauranga Airport at 3pm. MetService's weather sta-tion at Golden Valley behind Waihi recorded gusts of up to 110km/hr. Mr Druce said there would be less wind today and tomorrow, but Sunday would see heavy rain developing and gale force northerlies. (Abridged)

She's surely gonna blow, cap'n By JEFF TOLLAN - The Timaru Herald 29/08/2009 http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/2813574/Shes-surely-

gonna-blow-cap-n

NATASHA MARTIN/ The Timaru Herald SANDBLAST CENTRAL: There was little protec-tion for those venturing outdoors yesterday and the weather is predicted to go downhill from to-day. With little cover to save them, Caroline Bay's sand dunes were blown across the port. The winds that have battered the region of late are only a mild indication of what lies in wait for us, the MetService says. Wind gusts of up to 70kmh tore through the dis-trict yesterday, whipping sand from the bay, sparking a minor rubbish fire and making life outdoors treacherous for anyone with a toupee. MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt was yesterday warning of an unusually active front moving onto the country, which is set to hit tomorrow. It is predicted to deliver heavy rain to the western areas of the South Island and a strong nor-wester over much of the country. "Powerful westerly winds over the Tasman Sea have been pushing active fronts onto New Zealand all week. Saturday is the day between fronts, with generally lighter winds and lesser rainfalls expected." But he expected tomorrow's front to hit the country hard. (Abridged)

Traffic, trains return to normal Stuff.co.nz Last updated 31/08/2009 - with NZPA, The Dominion Post http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2816820/Traffic-trains-return-to-normal

Heavy rain and gale-force winds played havoc with motorists in Wellington yesterday. A fierce spring storm made itself felt in the region late yesterday afternoon, moving quickly eastwards across the lower North Island. State Highway 2 between Pakuratahi and Kaitoke has reopened after one lane was closed by a slip at Kaitoke Gardens, and Ngauranga Gorge, north of Wellington, has been cleared of flooding that resulted from a missing manhole cover. A slip at the Johnsonville off-ramp that slowed traffic and a rockfall that blocked State High-way 58 at Haywards have both been cleared. Trains on the Paraparaumu line were disrupted by a slip near Pukerua Bay. Flights were delayed coming in and going out of Wellington Air-port. The MetService said the strongest wind gust this morning was 155kph at Cape Turna-gain on the Wairarapa Coast and 145km/hr at Okahu Island off shore of the Bay of Islands . Wellington received a maximum gust of 113kmh while Manukau Heads (West Auckland) re-ceived 128kmh. The highest wind speed for the South Island was at a remote part of Stewart Island which copped 113kmh. Mt Taranaki had over 200mm of rain over the past 24 hours while Lower Hutt had 69mm. The Rimutaka Ranges has had 87mm in the last 12 hours. Cropp River on the West Coast received 194mm while Hokitika had 41mm in the 12 hours .


The Society is a group of people from around New Zealand (and overseas) who like to share their fascination in weather and its antics. The Society was inaugu-rated at a meeting held in Wellington on 11 October 1979. The objects of the So-ciety are to encourage an interest in the atmosphere, weather, and climate, par-ticularly as related to the New Zealand region.

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Meteorological Society Of New Zealand (Inc.) · In this talk, the physics behind aerosol forcing was presented along with some recent re- ... This was held jointly with Marine Sciences