News
BLACK ICE WARNING AS FROSTS COVER NZ
Posted by wwadmin on Thu, 06/09/2007 - 00:00
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+ Another Depression forms in the Southern Coral Sea
New born lambs along with people will be shivering as all of the country wakes to a bitterly cold morning. A very strong anticyclone has a firm grip over the nation, trapping cold air from Tuesday's burst of polar air.
"Clear skies and little wind means frosts from Southland to Waikato" says the Radio Network's head weather analyst Philip Duncan. "Motorists especially in southern parts of the South Island should take extreme care as there is bound to be dangerous black ice this morning, following Tuesday's rain and snow".
Current temperatures:
Hamilton: 2
Desert Road: -3
Levin: -1
Lower Hutt: 2
Wellington: 1
Blenheim: -1
Christchurch: -4
Timaru, Wanaka, Queenstown: -3
Dunedin: -4
Parts of Central Otago: -6
Lumsden, Gore, Hokotika & Milford: -1
Invercargill: 1
Duncan says there is good news for us, and the lambs, with plenty of warming sun today, however he says tonight will probably be even colder. "There will be even less wind and cloud over New Zealand tonight, that means more severe frosts in the South Island and an even colder start for Aucklanders - with possibly light frosts in western and southern regions".
BAD WEATHER ALERT
It's still a few days out, but there appears to be a disturbance forming in the Coral Sea and it's likely to head our way. The last storm to form there, battered Brisbane with gales and flooding rains and was expected by all the forecasters we use, to affect NZ. It didn't bring the rains that we expected, but did organise itself as it moved away, bringing gales to Auckland the day of the Lunar Eclipse. This system appears to be a little more organised, and competing with the huge anticyclone over the country, there looks like a moderate chance of strong winds and heavy rain over the usual northern regions. We'll have a better idea on Friday.
RAIN “AT SOME STAGE” FOR EVERYONE THIS WEEKEND
Posted by wwadmin on Wed, 05/09/2007 - 00:00
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Wellington, Kapiti Coast, Manawatu and Taranaki are just four regions south of the central North Island that have enjoyed some fantastic weather lately, but it's all about to end. Yesterday Kapiti took the nations high with 23 degrees, while several 22s were felt across those regions and other parts of the country.
"Spring seems to be following Winter's pattern with large highs to the east of New Zealand bringing mainly sunny conditions to the bottom two thirds of the country, meanwhile the top third has rain and strong nor easterlies" says TRN's head weather analyst Philip Duncan. "Yesterday winds reached nearly 120km/h in coastal Northland and up to 100km/h in coastal parts of northern Auckland, all thanks to the high to the east and a low to the north - a carbon copy of July and August".
But the weekend isn't going to be so great for the rest of New Zealand, as another slow and disorganised low pressure system develops in the northern Tasman. "What we mean by disorganised is that it's messy and difficult to predict. It doesn't have a clear pattern to what it’s doing. An organised system, like a storm, shows clear rain bands moving in a certain direction and at a certain speed...disorganised makes them chop and change, die and reform, and not move with the normal, predictable characteristics we're used to seeing with a low and associated frontal bands".
Because of this, weather predictions for the country, especially the top half, seem to be changing by the hour, but one thing is likely - it's going to be cloudy and wet in most areas. "With a system like this it's hard to predict exactly where the rain bands will move and how much rain will be in them...but we can say it's best to bet on a cloudy and probably wet weekend for most areas".
Blustery winds are also likely from Auckland northwards.
Duncan says that global forecasting giant weather.com is predicting showers or rain for all of New Zealand "at some stage this weekend" with the chance of rainfall about 60% to 80% from Southland to Gisborne to Northland and everywhere in between.
WINTER RETURNS TO CHRISTCHURCH
Posted by wwadmin on Wed, 05/09/2007 - 00:00
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Christchurch was hit by squally, wintry showers throughout the night with sleet and hail hammering away at roofs and windows.
Yesterdays chilly air that hit the region bringing snow to some areas, eased for a time late yesterday before returning with more of a punch last night, as predicted by TRN's Weather Watch Centre.
"Conditions are slowly expected to improve today but 7 degrees is the forecast high for the Garden city today which is half the average for this time of year" says South Island weather analyst Richard Green.
"It was the citys most wintry night for some time and the good news is the sunshine will return from later today but Jack frost will pay a vist for at least the next 2 or 3 nights".
On the slopes, some skifields have received a good dump in the last 24 hours which has been an ideal and necessary top up for many operators for Spring time.
SNOW FALLS IN ASHBURTON, PARTS OF CANTERBURY
Posted by wwadmin on Tue, 04/09/2007 - 00:00
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A brief period of heavy snow fell this morning across Canterbury and now its moving north.
The Radio Network’s head weather analyst Philip Duncan says the snow has stopped in Ashburton and conditions are improving in Methven. “Although Hutt College has been closed due to the snow, conditions are improving with only sleet now falling in Methven”.
Latest satellite images show the main frontal band moving northwards and in its wake temperatures are dropping quickly. “It currently feels about minus 5 in Christchurch with the air temperature only on 2 degrees and sleet has just begun falling”.
MetService is currently forecasting rain today in Christchurch with snow possible tonight however Duncan says it’s more than likely going to snow in the Garden City this afternoon. “Our South Island weather analyst Richard Green says snow is falling 25 kms south of the city and it’s now sleeting at the airport”.
Duncan says snow is likely to fall this afternoon and possibly followed by a second briefer fall overnight.
And it’s not just the South Island, Duncan is warning snow may fall on the Rimutaka Ranges road later today or this evening. “Wellington is currently 13 degrees, that may well halve but late this afternoon as the cold front rolls through”.
“As I said yesterday, farmers should be on alert but this system is very fast moving. Clear skies should move in tomorrow with some pretty hefty frosts tomorrow and Thursday nights”.
LIGHT SNOW IN CHCH – BUT SUMMER-LIKE HIGH ON WAY FOR NZ
Posted by wwadmin on Tue, 04/09/2007 - 00:00
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It’s been a crazy day weather-wise across the country with heavy snow falling in some areas, while just kilometres light rain fell. Heavy snow fell across parts of Canterbury this morning with light snow and sleet briefly falling in Christchurch this afternoon, however the city is now mostly dry. There is still the risk of some snow tonight in the Garden City however the Radio Network’s head weather analyst Philip Duncan says the air will be drying out, which lowers the chance of snow or rain.
“Further south Queenstown currently has a ‘feels like’ temperature of minus 5 degrees with just 1 degrees in Invercargill. In the North Island the southerly has kicked in - in Wellingtonthe ‘feels like’ temperature is currently just 5 degrees”.
In contrast eastern areas like Napier, Hastings, Gisborne and Whangarei have basked in a warm 19 or 20 degrees, while strong winds are gusting to 95km/h west of Auckland on the Manukau Heads.
But it’s a large high pressure system that’s going to see our weather settling and frosts returning. “It’s unusual but this is the second huge anticyclone we’ve had in recent weeks. The size and height of the pressure (up to 1045hp) is more like a high we’d get in Summer”. The temperatures will be anything but summery though, with severe frosts returning to many parts of the South Island and frosts making it as far north as Waikato.
COLD SNAP FOR SOUTH ISLAND
Posted by wwadmin on Mon, 03/09/2007 - 00:00
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A blast of cold air from the Southern Ocean is set to cross the South Island Tuesday, with plummeting temperatures and snow to low levels. The Radio Network’s head weather analyst Philip Duncan says oddly it’s an anticyclone that’s partially to blame. “There’s a very large high pressure system moving in from Tasmania with air pressure up to 1042 hector pascals which is typical of a high in the middle of summer. That means there’s a huge gradient between the centre of the high and the low in the Southern Ocean. It’s these strong winds that will pull up the cold southern air”.
Duncan says Farmers should be on alert but not to be too worried. “The first cold front will arrive overnight in the far south, with another front bringing colder air on Tuesday afternoon. While snow may fall to only a few hundred metres it isn’t likely to be too heavy and should also be quite short lived, clearing on Wednesday”.
He warns sleet and hail could affect roads around Dunedin and Central Otago between noon Tuesday and noon Wednesday.
The Tasmanian high will move over the South Island later in the week which means a return to frosty, clear weather.
Meanwhile the North Island should have a cloudy week with plenty of showers and possibly the development of a low in the northern Tasman on Thursday bringing in more wet windy weather for the north.
TEMPERATURES SOAR AS SPRING ARRIVES
Posted by wwadmin on Sat, 01/09/2007 - 00:00
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Spring has blossomed into life today as strong westerly winds lift temperatures up and down New Zealand.
The Radio Network's head weather analyst Philip Duncan says the mercury has reached into the lower 20s right up the country's east coast. "In Napier, Hastings and Gisborne the temperature is currently around 20 degrees, while in the South Island the famous nor'wester has kicked in with Timaru currently on 22 degrees and Christchurch, Oamaru and Dunedin all reaching 20 today”.
Duncan says overnight gales of 100km/h blasted inland Southland and says today those gales have shifted further north. "Castlepoint is currently getting gusts to hurricane force, about 130km/h while inland Hawke's Bay is getting gusts over gale force at around 80km/h".
"The reason for the strong winds is a depression centred over Southland pushing against an anticyclone centred over Northland. The two systems are relatively close".
Duncan says winds will ease in the North on Sunday but a return to gales is expected in the lower South Island early on Monday. "Strong westerlies are a definite sign that Spring has now arrived".
INTERNATIONAL WEATHER CENTRE – 3 Major tropical storms on the go: Mexico and Japan on alert.
All eyes are back in the Caribbean as Tropical Depression 6 gathers strength. The depression is expected to officially become Tropical Storm Felix within the next 36 hours. Forecasters believe Felix will reach Category 2 hurricane status before making landfall. The potential hurricane is expected to track further south than Dean however forecasters warn he could make landfall in the same part of eastern Mexico. Not only that, but the area for potential landfall stretches as far north as the Mexico/Texas border.
It’s not just Mexico’s east coast that has forecasters on alert. Tropical Storm Henriette in the eastern Pacific is expected to hit Mexico’s west coast with flooding rains over the next couple of days.
And in the western Pacific, Japan could be bracing itself for a destructive storm. Typhoon Fitow is gathering strength and could make a direct hit to central Japan the middle of this week.
THE LAST DAY OF AUGUST - WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT WINTER 2007
Posted by wwadmin on Fri, 31/08/2007 - 00:00
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+ Why Wellington escaped the headlines this winter.
August 31st marks the last day of winter for New Zealanders. This year's winter has been one of contrast according to the Radio Networks head weather analyst Philip Duncan. "The South Island has been cold while the North Island has been somewhat mild". Duncan says several large Tasman Sea lows kept the North Island wet and mild, while the South Island was covered in a number of large highs meaning bitterly cold overnight lows and very few double digit highs. He believes the Tasman Sea lows are a sign of things to come this Summer as La Nina starts to take form. "New Zealand had a lot of easterlies this winter, especially in July, and we didn't really get into the south west air flow. Even now, the south westerlies are relatively dry due to a lot of high pressure in the Tasman which effectively destroys the cold fronts as they move up New Zealand".
A LOOK BACK
The full fury of winter roared across New Zealand in early Junebringing gales, snow and wind chills of minus 6 in parts of the South Island. Snow fell in Invercargill during this storm making the drive home diabolical for motorists on June 7th.
On the 11th of June the news was broken that Meteorologist Augie Auer had died, but in news that would've made the great forecaster smile drought breaking rain fell in Hawke's Bay the following day.
In late June a mini cyclone engulfed the entire Tasman Sea, the back end of the storm closed Central Otago airports with snow.
June 22 a weak tornado hits Invercargill.
July 4that 11am and the Weather Watch Centre warns of big thunderstorms for Taranaki. Two hours later a twister hit New Plymouth causing damage. Warnings were issued by the Radio Network's weather dept of further twisters likely in Auckland and Tauranga, beating all other forecasters and by the days end a tornado had hit Howick and another hit Tauranga.
July 5th, several twisters hit Taranaki causing major damage.
10th of July and the biggest storm of the year slammed Northland, Auckland and Coromandel. Major floods hit Northland with over 400mm of rain for some areas and winds reached 200kmh near Auckland, cutting power to some in the city for over a week. If the storm had been a Tropical Cyclone the winds would've touched on Category 3 status (Hurricane Katrina was a strong Cat3 Hurricane when it hit New Orleans). The storm also brought floods to Hawke's Bay - from droughts to floods in just a matter of weeks.
The first few weeks of July and the South Island was shivering under a high that kept overnight lows near -10 in Queenstown and peaking at only 1 or 2 degrees during the day. Black ice was a major issue for motorists.
Later in July and thunder and lightening sent shivers up the spines of fans as the All Blacks performed the Haka at Eden Park.
August 1st and a nor wester lifts overnight lows in Central Otago by 20 degrees.
August 11thand winds blast across the far South at 130km/h. The hurricane force winds lasted 24 hours as a gigantic storm the width of Australia churned south of New Zealand.
August 16th and the 8th Tasman Sea low of the winter brought chaos to Auckland commuters with heavy rain and gales making commute times up to 2 hours for some.
And this past Tuesday a low near Northland deepened bringing gales to Auckland - just in time to blow the clouds away for people to see the rare Lunar Eclipse.
Why has Wellington escaped the headlines this Winter?
The bulk of the bad winter weather has been in the far North and the far South. Southland and Otago had snow storms and severe frosts while Northland and Auckland had one rain soaked low after another - in fact 8 Tasman Sea storms in total. But Wellington city missed out on this. Last year Wellington constantly made the headlines due to rain bearing fronts moving in from the Tasman Sea and deepening off the Wairarapa Coast. "Last year the patterns were quite different. Rain was fed in to Wellington by these lows off the east coast, but this year Wellington was on the cusp of the South Island highs. This meant lows that developed in the Tasman, or moved down from the sub tropics, slid over northern New Zealand mostly missing the Capital" says Philip Duncan. "Apart from the usual gales and some frosty mornings, Wellington has had a pretty quiet winter".
MOST OF NZ SHOULD SEE THE LUNAR ECLIPSE
Posted by wwadmin on Tue, 28/08/2007 - 00:00
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Much of the country will get the chance to see the lunar eclipse tonight, with widespread cloud now moving off to sea. The satellite map above shows cloud moving off to the east. There is some cloud over Canterbury which is slowly moving north east and will hopefully break up enough by evening. There’s good news for Hawke’s Bay with cloud breaking up this afternoon and the sun coming out. Earlier today there were predictions by some forecasters of a gloomy night.
“A thin band of showers could move over Auckland in the next few hours, but I’m expecting by 8pm there should be some nice long clear periods” says the Radio Network’s head weather analyst Philip Duncan.
“Elsewhere across the country you’ll get a good view and in the worst case at least a glimpse or two of the red moon in between the clouds”.
Duncan says winds gusting up to 100km/h across Auckland means any clouds will “move pretty quickly”.
WEATHER IMPROVING FOR TUESDAY NIGHT’S LUNAR ECLIPSE
Posted by wwadmin on Mon, 27/08/2007 - 00:00
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Most of New Zealand should get a chance to see Tuesday’s Lunar Eclipse, also known as Lunar Rossa (which means red moon), although they will have to dodge passing clouds and showers.
The Radio Network’s head weather analyst, Philip Duncan says a storm near Northland will kick into during Tuesday morning – 24 hours later than previously expected - bringing south west gales to many parts of the North Island and strong winds elsewhere. “This is a good thing as it should move the worst of the cloud out to sea by night time”. Duncan says Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne might not be so lucky. “The centre of this storm will be near Hawke’s Bay tomorrow night… but we’re hoping the cloud will break up by afternoon”.
During the eclipse the moon will appear red – this is due to the sun’s light passing through our dusty atmosphere…like rose coloured sunglasses… the blue light is scattered over the earth leaving only red light coming out the other side, this then hits the moon, making it appear red.
“Most of New Zealand will have either passing clouds or showers but there should be enough breaks to see the moon. The best places to watch the eclipse will be those areas away from coastlines… the further inland the better Northern parts of the South Island will be especially clear”.
The moon will be fully eclipsed between 10pm and 11:15pm Tuesday night but the earth’s shadow will be noticeable a good hour or two either side of that.
TRN’s Weather Watch Centre will update the visibility forecast Tuesday afternoon.
