Electrical, Hail & Thunder Storm!
Posted by wwadmin on Thu, 15/01/2009 - 06:40
Filed in:
One of the most incredible thunder/hail storm in years blasted across Eastern Waikato, Western Bay of Plenty and Coromandel Peninsula Wednesday night - putting on the most spectacular electrical display for Aucklanders in recent memory.
At its peak around 1200 lightning flashes per hour were recorded in the upper North Island...for Aucklanders, they saw around 1 flash about every 5 seconds according to weatherwatch.co.nz with lightning still visible well into Thursday morning.
Head Weather Analyst Philip Duncan says this was on a scale usually seen in 'Tornado Alley' in the central USA. WeatherWatch.co.nz issued tornado, hail and thunder warnings Wednesday afternoon and within 2 hours major hail and lightning storms were reported.
According to NewstalkZB.co.nz a water spout lifted a 31 foot launch near Great Barrier Island. "We had reported on Newstalk ZB after 10pm that the violent weather was near Great Barrier Island and that they would be in for a spectacular display of thunder and lightning... because of the earlier tornado warnings we had issued news of a water spout came as no surprise" said Mr Duncan. "This was a severe thunderstorm and we should be thankful it avoided popular places such as Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga".
As of 1am the violent storm had moved well offshore clearing all land.
PHOTOS:
Below: Looking out over the Hauraki Gulf about dusk. 
Photo by Steven W / thunderstorm.co.nz
See MORE amazing photos by clicking "Read More" below.
ClassicHits.co.nz listener Bev sent in these 2 amazing photos, below, of the huge hail storm that passed over the Kaimai Ranges late on Wednesday afternoon, around an hour after the Weather Watch Centre issued an extreme warning to motorists driving there.
Above - "This pic was taken just north of the Kopu bridge near Thames at aprox 8pm after seeing a large CB forming" Photo: WeatherWatch.co.nz / Philip Brewer.
Top 3 photos, sent by Neill Ellis of Tauranga. Below, by GraemeWi.
Upload your own photos here!
.png)
Comments
Although I'm an electrician,
Although I'm an electrician, I'm afraid of lightning. Mother nature is just too powerful. I love the pictures.
_____________
Freddy Simpson - Dublin electrician
strange lighning question?
Hi, what an amazing display on Wednesday night! I watched it from Karaka for about 2 hours or so... but I have a question - would someone please explain what the horizontal rows of white lights were that I saw several of during the 'show' (they are shown quite clearly in some of the brilliant photos sent in).
Thanks.
Me and my best mate drove to
Me and my best mate drove to Kawakawa Bay from Papakura in south auckland, and saw the most spectacular electrical storm we have seen in our short life...We could see many flashes from papakura too.
lightning last night/shooting stars
I enjoyed the show from my parents house which is on Waiheke overlooking to Coromandel, it was fantastic. The other thing that blew me away was the amount of shooting stars we saw last night it was incredible! I guess we dont usually spend so much time out at night just looking up so perhaps we dont usually notice them.
Lightening storm
I so hope that someone captured photographs and uploads them of what we saw from the Bombay Hills. Without the city lights, the size of the cloud (e.g) in the first photo was totally lit up. We actually had at least three going off one after the other spread across the Drury/Ararimu/Bombay skyline. Just absoloute magic.
What I find even more amazing
What I find even more amazing is that, as I view the comments, only 50% of those making them know how to spell 'lightning'!
I am so disappointed I missed
I am so disappointed I missed this! I sounds very much like the lightning storm I witnessed on the Sunshine Coast in November, just days after the huge storm that damaged several suburbs in Brisbane. I never thought we'd see anything like it in this country, though.
Storm from Tairua, Coromandel
As a massive thunderstorm nut, I was in heaven last night. Finshed on-air at Coromandel FM at 6 and noticed a huge CB forming over the ranges and thought "wow, that wasn't there an hour ago!" Got back to Tairua on the eastern side of the Coromandel at about 6:45 to heavy rain and fork lightening right over head. That eased but it then got progressively darker (and darker!) to the south. We then enjoyed amazing lightening and thunder as the main storm moved from the south and past us no more than a kilometer offshore. Lightening was still visible to the east and north when I hit the sack around 11:30. My sister is over from Brisbane and she said it was nothing on what they've had there recently. Reading your reports Phillip I can now say that it was! The photo's are amazing too, may try upload some of mine if I get a chance.
Cheers
Andy
Amazing night sky spectaculars this week
We've been treated to some wonderful night sky displays over the East Coast Bays with the full moon pushing through gaps in the clouds and the lightning display last night. After the New Years Eve fireworks on the Marine Parade in Napier I'm starting to get a little spoilt.....
Wonder what's on tonight???
Tonight
Think we're in for a quiet one tonight... the air is much cooler and drier today... don't think we'll see a repeat performance. It's possible if you live on the east coast of East Cape you might see more tonight offshore.
Certainly has been impressive lately!
Weather Watch
Incredible
I live in remuera with a view over rangitoto and orakei. The flashes were nothing iv ever seen before from my deck. It was so amazing, probably better than any sunset. we could see flashes about ever 10 seconds going on for over an hour late into the night. You could just see spectacular flashes but hear nothing. My mother commented 'it's better than any fireworks plus you avoid any sound.' Absoultelly incredible experience.
Lightening Show
Yes I watched for a while last night also. Sometimes the lightening appeared to run along the cloud bank, lighting it up like Steve W.'s photo above. I've seen spectacular lightening shows like this in Canada, but not in New Zealand before.
Reminds me a bit of War of
Reminds me a bit of War of the Worlds...
Amazing..
I went to Eastern Beach (Auckland) with my two sons to watch the storm, it was amazing......
Electrical storm
This is definitely one of the coolest electrical storms i have ever seen - its still happening 45 minutes after i saw the beginning of it.
Wonderful!
This surely is a fantastic spectacular! I may take my yacht out later.
Northcote
Lightning well great view out to the East but my parents thought it was a lighting Show but i said nope lightning storm and its great....
Happens alot in Canberra but not often here....
Andrew
Eerie storm...
Watching the lightening strikes from our deck in Mt Wellington, Auckland... looks amazing, we're seeing about 1 strike every 15 to 45 seconds or so.
No bad weather here so far.
Lightning
glad to see there is some info on this, everyone thought I was crazy when I mentioned that I saw lightning on my drive home at about 10pm last night!
It was absolutely amazing though, never seen anything like it
LIGHTNING
It was a little freaky for me, as I had recorded a documentary from Sky that day called Lightening Strike and was watching it when the lightning storm happened. Made the event much more exciting. (Try and watch it if you can - fascinating information). I thought the TV was reflecting the lightning through the window - until the programme finished! I went out and there was not a cloud in the sky - all the stars were twinkling brightly. A cloud that I had noticed at sunset which was a beautiful pink was obviously the culprit - it was a Cumulus but you could actually see stars through it - until the lightning lit it up as it travelled along the top of it. I couldn't stop looking at it, until I had to hit the sack at 11.30 - and it was still lighting up then, several hours later! A memory of a lifetime, for me anyway. Isn't nature amazing?