Troughs and lows brought unsettled and stormy weather to several parts of the country from the 10th to the 16th. Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago experienced severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding causing number of road accidents which resulted three casualties and some injuries. In Otago a man was swept away in Silver Stream, near Mosgiel and drowned.
On the 10th a low, formed in central Tasman a few days earlier, moved southeast to lie west of Fiordland and to the southeast of South Island on the 11th. A trough crossed New Zealand during this period, with thunderstorms in many areas. The low moved away to the east on the 13th and finally moved away by end of the 16th.
On the 12th, a shallow low developed over and to the east of North Island, with a moist southerly on its western side.
Thunderstorms affected many parts of North Island due to the unstable weather pattern covering much of bottom half of North Island. A complex trough of low pressure over New Zealand was a factor and warm air from the tropics hitting cold air and sea-surface temperatures of about 20 degress also contributed.
Traffic was brought to a standstill after an accident on State Highway 1 at Manakau, Horowhenua. There were minor injuries only.
A courier truck skidded out of control into a duckpond off State Highway 1 just past Waikawa Stream overbridge, travelling north between Otaki and Levin. It occurred on 7:15pm on the 10th but no injuries were sustained. Bad weather and surface flooding caused the accident. There was a heavy downpour of rain 10 minutes earlier which made the road greasy.
There was torrential rain accompanied by dramatic thunder and lightning around the Wellington region.
Central Wellington recorded 24 mm (2.4 cm) of rain on the 11th.
There were power cut to parts of Kapiti Coast and Porirua by lightning strikes. The power was cut by a lightning strike on a Takapu Road circuit at 8:00am on the morning of the 11th.
Power cuts also affected traffic lights and rail signals between Plimmerton and Wellington.
There was an outage of some traffic lights along State Highway 2 around Melling Link.
There was a power cut to approximately 21,000 households in Kapiti and Pauatahanui after a lightning bolt struck Pauatahanui substation. Power was restored by 9:00am on the 11th.
Fire crews attended five call-outs to flooded houses within half an hour hour early in the morning.
State Highway 1 was closed from 9:00 to10:00am between Manakau overbridge and Waikawa Stream. A truck involved in an accident on the 10th needed to be moved.
There was flooding along State Highway 2 around Korokoro and the roads in the Petone area.
A courier van flipped on State Highway 1 near Tawa and a car went through a fence at Forest Lakes near Otaki.
At the Island Bay Bowling Club the green was drowned in 10 cm of water after the stormwater drains were blocked.
Kapiti Coast recorded 2 mm (0.2 cm) of rain on the 11th.
A large waterspout was formed off Kapiti Island at 7:00pm. It came ashore between Paekakariki and Raumati South and dispersed over the land.
The Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued by MetService in the area was expected to last until 4:00am on the 16th.
There were no reports of damage or injuries.
The waterspout released heavy rain and hailstones as big as marbles.
Lower Hutt recorded 23 mm (2.3 cm) of rain in one hour from 4:00-5:00am on the 11th.
Lower Hutt recorded over 40 mm (4.0 cm) of rain on the 11th.
Early morning storms caused flash flooding in the Hutt Valley.
In Korokoro lightning struck a chimney and bricks flew through air. One smashed the neighbour's second storey window.
Paraparaumu and Pauatahanui had power cuts.
There were delays on the Paraparaumu train line.
One man was killed in car crash in Porirua at 8:00am on the 12th.
One lane was closed after an accident on Whitford Brown Ave.
Wellington City recorded 17 mm (1.7 cm) of rain on the 11th.
Several were alarms activated in Wellington and the Hutt Valley area.
There was a car crash in Wellington's Terrace Tunnel in morning of the 11th. There were no injuries but all lanes were blocked and diversions were in place.
There were three further accidents in Wellington city between 8:00am-8:15am. Firstly, a cyclist was hit by a bus in Moleswoth Street, Thorndon, but was not badly hurt. Secondly, a van was knocked on its side in two-vehicle crash on the corner of Victoria Street and Ghuznee Street and thirdly, a pedestrian suffered suspected broken bones after being hit by car on the corner of The Terrace and MacDonald Cres.
Wellington International Airport recorded 8 mm (0.8 cm) of rain on the 11th.
On the 13th a trough approached the south later in the day and rain developed in the south-west of the South Island. The trough crossed the island on the 14th, preceded by moist northwesterlies and heavy rain in Westland and Fiordland. It was followed by colder southerlies.
Conditions across South Island eased late on the 16th.
The MetService issued a Severe Weather Warning for Banks Peninsula and Otago Coast on the 16th for gale force winds and heavy rain.
Thunderstorms dumped torrential rain on the Canterbury foothills on the night of the 11th. The area received 30-55 mm (3.0-5.5 cm) of rain in one hour late in the afternoon on the 11th.
The torrential rain broke the region's drought.
A North Canterbury farm recorded 102 mm (10.2 cm) of rain to 9:00am on the 12th.
Rainfall in Waipara and Culverden areas was the heaviest 24 hour fall since 1993.
The worst hit area was State Highway 73 between Christchurch and the West Coast through Arthurs Pass. 50 mm (5.0 cm) of rain was recorded along parts of State Highway 73 on the 11th. The alternative route to the West Coast over Lewis Pass was also hit by heavy rain.
On the 12th more rain fell in mid and North Canterbury and the Kaikoura Coast.
Southerlies brought heavy rain to South and Mid Canterbury late on the 14th (along with some thunderstorms) and to the rest of Canterbury by the 15th. Canterbury received 30-70 mm (3.0-7.0 cm) of rain on the 14th.
Rain in Canterbury eased during the 15th, but on the 16th the low looped back, with disturbances bringing more heavy rain to the area, as well as eastern Otago.
Selwyn Bridge on State Highway 73 was washed away by a deluge of rain on the West Coast road and the area was flooded late on the afternoon of the 11th.
Thomas Bridge on State Highway 73 was impassable after being washed out.
Weka Pass Road had surface flooding and small slips left debris on the road.
The Selwyn district had flash flooding and slips.
Stormwater drains were broken and the roads were missing seal in places.
Surface flooding affected many roads in Canterbury.
On the 16th rain was accompanied by south to southeast gales in exposed areas.
High winds battered parts of mainland and damaged trees and powerlines.
Thunderstorms in Canterbury were caused by a layer of warm, moist air under a cooler upper layer, with the foothills acting as a trigger. The thunderstorms weakened as they moved east, skirting to the north of Christchurch on the night of the 11th.
There were more than 3600 lightning strikes recorded in Canterbury, North Otago and Nelson Lakes in six hours from the afternoon of the 11th.
Thunderstorms brought large hailstones.
Amberley recorded 64 mm (6.4 cm) of rain on the 11th.
A Castle Hill village resident said the downpour was the heaviest rain burst in 10 years.
There was flash-flooding in the Castle Hill area which closed State Highway 73 for a while.
Hail blanketed the hillsides.
Christchurch Airport recorded over 48 mm (4.8 cm) of rain in 12 hours from the 11th to the 12th. This rainfall was more than the average February rainfall.
Christchurch recorded 50 mm (5.0 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 16th.
Heaviest falls of rain were between 8-9pm on the 11th and 5-6am on the 12th.
There was some surface flooding around the city.
Northwood roundabout in Belfast was flooded to about knee-height.
The PGA Golf Championship play was abandoned for the second day in row on the 16th.
The wet spell caused problems for cereal crops.
Heavy rain spread to the Kaikoura coast on the morning of the 12th.
The MetService issued a Severe Weather Warning for up to 65 mm of rain between 7am-5pm on the 12th.
A 30 year old woman and a child were killed when two cars collided in slippery conditions near Kirwee.
Two occupants of the other vehicle were injured and one was in a serious condition.
Wind gusts of 50 knots (93 km/hr) was recorded at Le Bons Bay on the 16th.
On the 16th winds gusting up to 55 knots (102 km/hr) turned the sea into a whirlpool with boats being tossed around like corks.
In the marina a 12-tonne boat broke away from its bow line and crashed into another, sinking it. Another boat was smashed on to the rocks.
Conditions were likened to those in Oct 2000 when a storm nearly destroyed the partially-built marina.
Morven recorded 209 mm (20.9 cm) of rain from the 11th to the 12th.
Rangiora recorded 77 mm (7.7 cm) of rain on the 11th.
A Waipara farm recorded 140 mm (14.0 cm) of rain from the 11th to the 12th.
The MetService issued a Severe Weather Warning for Banks Peninsula and the Otago Coast on the 16th for gale force winds and heavy rain.
Conditions across the South Island eased late on the 16th.
The wind damaged trees and powerlines.
Wind gusts of 50 knots (93 km/hr) were recorded at Dunedin on the 16th.
On the 16th a cruise ship was unable to leave Port Chalmers due to stormy conditions.
A 47 year old man was swept away by Silverstream near Mosgiel at 7:30am on the 16th. The body was found approximately 700m downstream at 11:00am.
Taiaroa Heads had gusts up to 61 knots (113 km/hr) on the 16th.
Troughs and lows brought unsettled and stormy weather to several parts of the country from the 10th to the 16th. Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago experienced severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding causing number of road accidents which resulted three casualties and some injuries. In Otago a man was swept away in Silver Stream, near Mosgiel and drowned.
On the 10th a low, formed in central Tasman a few days earlier, moved southeast to lie west of Fiordland and to the southeast of South Island on the 11th. A trough crossed New Zealand during this period, with thunderstorms in many areas. The low moved away to the east on the 13th and finally moved away by end of the 16th.
On the 12th, a shallow low developed over and to the east of North Island, with a moist southerly on its western side.
Thunderstorms affected many parts of North Island due to the unstable weather pattern covering much of bottom half of North Island. A complex trough of low pressure over New Zealand was a factor and warm air from the tropics hitting cold air and sea-surface temperatures of about 20 degress also contributed.
Traffic was brought to a standstill after an accident on State Highway 1 at Manakau, Horowhenua. There were minor injuries only.
A courier truck skidded out of control into a duckpond off State Highway 1 just past Waikawa Stream overbridge, travelling north between Otaki and Levin. It occurred on 7:15pm on the 10th but no injuries were sustained. Bad weather and surface flooding caused the accident. There was a heavy downpour of rain 10 minutes earlier which made the road greasy.
There was torrential rain accompanied by dramatic thunder and lightning around the Wellington region.
Central Wellington recorded 24 mm (2.4 cm) of rain on the 11th.
There were power cut to parts of Kapiti Coast and Porirua by lightning strikes. The power was cut by a lightning strike on a Takapu Road circuit at 8:00am on the morning of the 11th.
Power cuts also affected traffic lights and rail signals between Plimmerton and Wellington.
There was an outage of some traffic lights along State Highway 2 around Melling Link.
There was a power cut to approximately 21,000 households in Kapiti and Pauatahanui after a lightning bolt struck Pauatahanui substation. Power was restored by 9:00am on the 11th.
Fire crews attended five call-outs to flooded houses within half an hour hour early in the morning.
State Highway 1 was closed from 9:00 to10:00am between Manakau overbridge and Waikawa Stream. A truck involved in an accident on the 10th needed to be moved.
There was flooding along State Highway 2 around Korokoro and the roads in the Petone area.
A courier van flipped on State Highway 1 near Tawa and a car went through a fence at Forest Lakes near Otaki.
At the Island Bay Bowling Club the green was drowned in 10 cm of water after the stormwater drains were blocked.
Kapiti Coast recorded 2 mm (0.2 cm) of rain on the 11th.
A large waterspout was formed off Kapiti Island at 7:00pm. It came ashore between Paekakariki and Raumati South and dispersed over the land.
The Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued by MetService in the area was expected to last until 4:00am on the 16th.
There were no reports of damage or injuries.
The waterspout released heavy rain and hailstones as big as marbles.
Lower Hutt recorded 23 mm (2.3 cm) of rain in one hour from 4:00-5:00am on the 11th.
Lower Hutt recorded over 40 mm (4.0 cm) of rain on the 11th.
Early morning storms caused flash flooding in the Hutt Valley.
In Korokoro lightning struck a chimney and bricks flew through air. One smashed the neighbour's second storey window.
Paraparaumu and Pauatahanui had power cuts.
There were delays on the Paraparaumu train line.
One man was killed in car crash in Porirua at 8:00am on the 12th.
One lane was closed after an accident on Whitford Brown Ave.
Wellington City recorded 17 mm (1.7 cm) of rain on the 11th.
Several were alarms activated in Wellington and the Hutt Valley area.
There was a car crash in Wellington's Terrace Tunnel in morning of the 11th. There were no injuries but all lanes were blocked and diversions were in place.
There were three further accidents in Wellington city between 8:00am-8:15am. Firstly, a cyclist was hit by a bus in Moleswoth Street, Thorndon, but was not badly hurt. Secondly, a van was knocked on its side in two-vehicle crash on the corner of Victoria Street and Ghuznee Street and thirdly, a pedestrian suffered suspected broken bones after being hit by car on the corner of The Terrace and MacDonald Cres.
Wellington International Airport recorded 8 mm (0.8 cm) of rain on the 11th.
On the 13th a trough approached the south later in the day and rain developed in the south-west of the South Island. The trough crossed the island on the 14th, preceded by moist northwesterlies and heavy rain in Westland and Fiordland. It was followed by colder southerlies.
Conditions across South Island eased late on the 16th.
The MetService issued a Severe Weather Warning for Banks Peninsula and Otago Coast on the 16th for gale force winds and heavy rain.
Thunderstorms dumped torrential rain on the Canterbury foothills on the night of the 11th. The area received 30-55 mm (3.0-5.5 cm) of rain in one hour late in the afternoon on the 11th.
The torrential rain broke the region's drought.
A North Canterbury farm recorded 102 mm (10.2 cm) of rain to 9:00am on the 12th.
Rainfall in Waipara and Culverden areas was the heaviest 24 hour fall since 1993.
The worst hit area was State Highway 73 between Christchurch and the West Coast through Arthurs Pass. 50 mm (5.0 cm) of rain was recorded along parts of State Highway 73 on the 11th. The alternative route to the West Coast over Lewis Pass was also hit by heavy rain.
On the 12th more rain fell in mid and North Canterbury and the Kaikoura Coast.
Southerlies brought heavy rain to South and Mid Canterbury late on the 14th (along with some thunderstorms) and to the rest of Canterbury by the 15th. Canterbury received 30-70 mm (3.0-7.0 cm) of rain on the 14th.
Rain in Canterbury eased during the 15th, but on the 16th the low looped back, with disturbances bringing more heavy rain to the area, as well as eastern Otago.
Selwyn Bridge on State Highway 73 was washed away by a deluge of rain on the West Coast road and the area was flooded late on the afternoon of the 11th.
Thomas Bridge on State Highway 73 was impassable after being washed out.
Weka Pass Road had surface flooding and small slips left debris on the road.
The Selwyn district had flash flooding and slips.
Stormwater drains were broken and the roads were missing seal in places.
Surface flooding affected many roads in Canterbury.
On the 16th rain was accompanied by south to southeast gales in exposed areas.
High winds battered parts of mainland and damaged trees and powerlines.
Thunderstorms in Canterbury were caused by a layer of warm, moist air under a cooler upper layer, with the foothills acting as a trigger. The thunderstorms weakened as they moved east, skirting to the north of Christchurch on the night of the 11th.
There were more than 3600 lightning strikes recorded in Canterbury, North Otago and Nelson Lakes in six hours from the afternoon of the 11th.
Thunderstorms brought large hailstones.
Amberley recorded 64 mm (6.4 cm) of rain on the 11th.
A Castle Hill village resident said the downpour was the heaviest rain burst in 10 years.
There was flash-flooding in the Castle Hill area which closed State Highway 73 for a while.
Hail blanketed the hillsides.
Christchurch Airport recorded over 48 mm (4.8 cm) of rain in 12 hours from the 11th to the 12th. This rainfall was more than the average February rainfall.
Christchurch recorded 50 mm (5.0 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 16th.
Heaviest falls of rain were between 8-9pm on the 11th and 5-6am on the 12th.
There was some surface flooding around the city.
Northwood roundabout in Belfast was flooded to about knee-height.
The PGA Golf Championship play was abandoned for the second day in row on the 16th.
The wet spell caused problems for cereal crops.
Heavy rain spread to the Kaikoura coast on the morning of the 12th.
The MetService issued a Severe Weather Warning for up to 65 mm of rain between 7am-5pm on the 12th.
A 30 year old woman and a child were killed when two cars collided in slippery conditions near Kirwee.
Two occupants of the other vehicle were injured and one was in a serious condition.
Wind gusts of 50 knots (93 km/hr) was recorded at Le Bons Bay on the 16th.
On the 16th winds gusting up to 55 knots (102 km/hr) turned the sea into a whirlpool with boats being tossed around like corks.
In the marina a 12-tonne boat broke away from its bow line and crashed into another, sinking it. Another boat was smashed on to the rocks.
Conditions were likened to those in Oct 2000 when a storm nearly destroyed the partially-built marina.
Morven recorded 209 mm (20.9 cm) of rain from the 11th to the 12th.
Rangiora recorded 77 mm (7.7 cm) of rain on the 11th.
A Waipara farm recorded 140 mm (14.0 cm) of rain from the 11th to the 12th.
The MetService issued a Severe Weather Warning for Banks Peninsula and the Otago Coast on the 16th for gale force winds and heavy rain.
Conditions across the South Island eased late on the 16th.
The wind damaged trees and powerlines.
Wind gusts of 50 knots (93 km/hr) were recorded at Dunedin on the 16th.
On the 16th a cruise ship was unable to leave Port Chalmers due to stormy conditions.
A 47 year old man was swept away by Silverstream near Mosgiel at 7:30am on the 16th. The body was found approximately 700m downstream at 11:00am.
Taiaroa Heads had gusts up to 61 knots (113 km/hr) on the 16th.