NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
April 1982 North Island Ex-tropical Cyclone Bernie
(
1982-04-08
)
90 years
Ex-tropical Cyclone Bernie brought high winds to parts of the North Island, which caused a lot of damage in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne. A man was killed by a falling tree in Gisborne and a person was drowned in a flooded Bay of Plenty river. A person was also injured by a falling tree in Thames.
North Island
Multi Hazard
Duration: - From the 8th to the 10th of April.
Tropical Cyclone Bernie moved southeast past New Zealand on the 9th and 10th, and underwent intensification and redevelopment in an extratropical depression of some severity. The centre of the system passed about 300 km east of North Cape at noon on the 9th. Pressures to the north of East Cape began to fall, and large pressure gradients across the North Island were created with a resultant strong south-easterly wind flow. As pressure gradients began to increase, so too did surface south-easterly winds. The winds reached their peak intensity over the Central Volcanic Plateau and Gisborne region.
The intense southeasterly storm affected the East Coast and Central North Island.
Two features in the behaviour of Cyclone Bernie resembled Cyclone Giselle of April 1968: both cyclones followed rather similar tracks and both occurred in early April, affecting New Zealand on the same days of the month, the 9th and 10th.
Damage to New Zealand was confined to the North Island.
Losses to crops, including kiwifruit, apples, citrus trees, sweetcorn and maize, were widespread in the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne.
Losses to livestock were widespread in the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne.
The central pressure in the depression fell below 9687 mb (968.7 hPa).
High Wind / Gust
Sustained winds of not less than 60 knots (111 km/hr) were experienced within the circulation on the 9th and 10th.
Winds over the Central Volcanic Plateau and East Coast Regions reached gale force, with localised areas of damage consistent with storm force winds.
Extensive damage was done to exotic production forest. On the central volcanic plateau of the North Island, 12,460 ha of forest was destroyed and an estimated 3.4 cubic meters of timber lost.
The following North Island exotic forests were affected by the storm: Kaingaroa State Forest, Waimihia, Broadlands, Tauhara, Waitahanui, Opepe, Wainui, Waimihia and Lake Taupo. Indigenous forests along the ranges and adjacent to the Kaingaroa Plain forest also suffered considerable damage, in the Kaimanawa Ranges, Kaweka Ranges, West Taupo Forest, Raukumara Range and the Waioeka and Whirinaki State Forest.
An estimated 33% of the Urewera National Park suffered moderate to severe wind damage.
Buildings in the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne suffered structural damage.
Power and telephone links were cut in the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne.
Gale-force winds brought trees crashing down in the central North Island and closed four state highways.
Northland
Multi Hazard
at
Northland
When the centre of the storm passed close to the ship "Forum Samoa", about 300 km east of North Cape at noon on the 9th, a minimum pressure of 967 hPa was reported.
In Northland many newly shorn lambs died from exposure. Losses of 500 on one farm were quoted as 'typical'.
Auckland
Heavy Rain
at
Auckland City
Auckland recorded 91.7 mm (9.17 cm) of rain in 24 hours to 9pm on the 9th.
Landslide
The downpour triggered a small landslide at a cliff-top section at Tokoroa Pt, near Laingholm. The slide took the cliff face to less than two metres from the front doorstep.
Waikato
Multi Hazard
at
Waikato
State Highway 30 between Benneydale and Atiamuri was blocked.
High Wind / Gust
at
Cambridge
The gale-force winds brought down trees around Cambridge and some in Hamilton.
High Wind / Gust
at
Rangitaiki
The Rangitaiki anemometer recorded storm force winds of 48-55 kts (89-102 km/hr), maintained for at least 14 hours.
High Wind / Gust
at
Tauhara Hill
At Tauhara Forest, 1,176 ha was damaged and 426,700 m^3 of timber damaged, 80% by windthrow and 20% by windbreak. The damaged stands were aged 13-53 years old.
High Wind / Gust
at
Taupo
Taupo recorded a peak wind gust of 60 knots (111 km/hr) on the 9th, at 160 degrees true.
In the Taupo area a maximum wind speed of 105 km/hr was recorded on the 10th.
At Taupo and Kaingaroa, winds in the lee of the ranges averaged 25-35 kts (46-65 km/hr) with gusts of 50-60 kt (93-111 km/hr).
The storm seriously affected 890 ha of 10-12-year-old Pinus radiata at Lake Taupo.
Over 5000 ha was severly damaged in NZFS and TFL forests.
High Wind / Gust
at
Thames
One person was injured when the car they were a passenger in was crushed by a falling tree in Thames.
Multi Hazard
Near Thames, a van carrying six passengers ran off the coast road in stormy conditions and crashed into the sea. All six escaped uninjured.
Landslide
The Thames-Coromandel highway was closed due to slips.
Maritime / Coastal
The high tide advanced over the jetty and covered some streets and front lawns in a metre of water.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Whangamata
At Whangamata, a launch sank at its moorings.
Bay of Plenty
Multi Hazard
at
Bay of Plenty
High winds and rain were experienced in the Bay of Plenty from the 8th to the 10th. There was a severe southerly storm on the 9th.
Loss and damage to kiwifruit crops in the Bay of Plenty was estimated at $1.2 million ($3,700,000 2008 dollars). 5-20% of the export crop was lost or damaged.
There were also avocado, citrus and apple crop losses.
High Wind / Gust
The storm was aggravated by the wind direction and gusts.
Power lines were damaged and many people were without power. Large areas of Rotorua were in darkness and the power was cut on Opotiki, part of the Ohope peninsula, and parts of Kaingaroa and Minginui.
Trees were blown down due to the unusual angle of the winds.
The main damage was in the Te Puke-Pongakawa-Welcome Bay area.
In the Bay of Plenty, approximately 3500 ha of forest was damaged and approximately 1.8 million m^3 of timber was downed. 300,000 of the 370,000 m^3 blown down and 1.3 million of the 1.8 million m^3 affected was old crop.
The highest south-east gust speed (obtained by averaging for Rotorua, Gisborne and Tauranga) was 57 knots (106 km/hr). This had a Return Period of 90 years.
A light helicopter crashed while on a mission to pick up four stranded hunters. The hunting party made their own way out but the helicopter pilot broke his arm in the crash.
Multi Hazard
State highways 35 from Opotiki to Te Kaha and 38 at Murupara was blocked.
High Wind / Gust
at
Broadlands Forest
At Broadlands Forest, 40 ha was damaged and 14,400 m^3 of timber damaged by windthrow. The damaged stands were 18 years old.
High Wind / Gust
at
Kaingaroa Forest
Extensive damage was done to forests in the Kaingaroa area. At Kaingaroa Forest, 11,243 ha was damaged and 3,000,000 m^3 of timber damaged by windthrow and windbreak. The damaged stands were aged 1-50 years old.
Kaingaroa recorded a peak wind gust of 56 knots (104 km/hr) on the 9th, at 140 degrees true.
Kaingaroa, in the centre of the Kaingaroa Plain, recorded a mean wind speed of 40 kts (74 km/hr).
Kaingaroa recorded gusts of 50 kts (93 km/hr).
High Wind / Gust
at
Kaitemako
Trees fell and brought down power lines in Kaitemako Road.
Multi Hazard
at
Katikati
Katikati was hard hit by the storm.
The winds twisted service wires, breaking the supply.
Roofs were lifted and window blown in.
Kiwifruit crops were bruised.
Flooding
at
Motu River
One person was drowned when flooding conditions caused problems for a rafting expedition on the Motu River.
The Motu River swelled to 4 m above its normal level.
High Wind / Gust
at
Mount Maunganui
At Mt Maunganui, fences, trees, and signs were blown over.
Mt Maunganui exerienced winds of 40-50 knots (74-93 km/hr).
High Wind / Gust
at
Rotorua
Rotorua Aerodrome recorded a peak wind gust of 61 knots (113 km/hr) on the 9th, at 160 degrees true.
High Wind / Gust
at
Tauranga
Tauranga airport recorded wind gusts of up to 50 knots (93 km/hr) on the 9th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Te Paripari
22 people were in a farm house at Te Paripari, east of Opotiki, when the home was torn apart by the storm. No one was injured.
High Wind / Gust
at
Tikitere
The eastsouth-east gale resulted in many broken tops and a few toppled trees at Tikitere.
The 24-hour wind run for the 9th was 893 km.
Gisborne
High Wind / Gust
at
Gisborne
The whole East Cape and Gisborne area suffered power and telephone cuts.
There were large scale lossess of sweetcorn and maize crops (up to 80% on some farms).
Mean wind speeds at Gisborne and East Cape reached 35-38 kts (65-70 km/hr).
High Wind / Gust
at
East Cape
At East Cape, winds reached hurricane force.
East Cape Lighthouse recorded a mean wind speed of 62 knots (115 km/hr) - the highest mean wind speed associated with Cyclone Bernie.
East Cape Lighthouse recorded peak gusts of above 93 knots (172 km/hr).
High Wind / Gust
at
Gisborne City
In Gisborne, house roofs were damaged and a grandstand roof was blown off.
High Wind / Gust
at
Te Araroa
At Te Araroa, roofs and chimneys were blown off and verandahs and carports were damaged.
An elderly man was killed when a falling tree crushed a car.
Hawke's Bay
High Wind / Gust
at
Mahia Peninsula
A 15-metre yacht was blown ashore at Mahia Peninsula.
Communications had been blacked out on the peninsula by the storm.
High Wind / Gust
at
Napier
Mean wind speeds at Napier reached 35-38 kts (65-70 km/hr).
Taranaki
High Wind / Gust
at
Taranaki
The storm tore roofs from dozens of houses, smashed windows and walls and demolished farm buildings.
Damage was estimated at $500,000 ($1,560,000 2008 dollars).
Electricity was cut to many homes.
In North Taranaki, the Civil Defence organisation was put on standby as te worst gales in 20 years swept the area.
Maritime / Coastal
Two yachts were sunk.
High Wind / Gust
at
New Plymouth
New Plymouth Airport recorded peak wind gusts of 85 knots (157 km/hr) on the 9th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Pukeiti Hill
Over 3,000 trees were lost in the Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust Gardens.
References
- Brown, P.C.; Jones, S. Wind risk in the Bay of Plenty. Workshop on Wind damage in New Zealand Exotic Forests, Ministry of Forestry, FRI Bulletin 146.
- Knowles, R.L.; Paton, V.J. The effect of final-crop stocking on wind damage at Tikitere. Workshop on Wind damage in New Zealand Exotic Forests, Ministry of Forestry, FRI Bulletin 146.
- Littlejohn, R.N. (1984). Extreme winds and forest devastation resulting from Cyclone 'Bernie'. Weather and Climate 4(2).
- New Zealand Meteorological Service. Meteorological Observations for 1982, Stations in New Zealand and Outlying Islands, and Antarctica.
- New Zealand Meteorological Service. Technicial Information Circular No.191, Extreme Wind Gusts.
- New, D. Accounting for New Zealand Plantation's Risk to Wind Damage - facing the facts. Workshop on Wind damage in New Zealand Exotic Forests, Ministry of Forestry, FRI Bulletin 146.
- Revell, C.G.; Ward, G.F.A. (1982). Tropical Cyclone 'Bernie', 1-14 April 1982. Weather and Climate: Journal of the Meteorological Society of New Zealand (inc) 2(2).
- Headline: Gale batters Western Bay.
- The Bay of Plenty Times, 10 April 1982.
- Headline: Five On Yacht In Distress As Storm Lashes Coast.
- The New Zealand Herald, 10 April (Saturday) 1982.
- Headline: The Weather.
- The New Zealand Herald, 10 April (Saturday) 1982.
- Headline: Wild River Puts Dozens In Danger.
- The New Zealand Herald, 12 April (Monday) 1982.
- Headline: Time For Cuppa During Storm.
- The New Zealand Herald, 15 April (Thursday) 1982.
- Turner, R.M. Canterbury Plains and Lake Taupo Forests.
April 1982 North Island Ex-tropical Cyclone Bernie
(
1982-04-08
)
90 years
Ex-tropical Cyclone Bernie brought high winds to parts of the North Island, which caused a lot of damage in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne. A man was killed by a falling tree in Gisborne and a person was drowned in a flooded Bay of Plenty river. A person was also injured by a falling tree in Thames.
North Island
Multi Hazard
Duration: - From the 8th to the 10th of April.
Tropical Cyclone Bernie moved southeast past New Zealand on the 9th and 10th, and underwent intensification and redevelopment in an extratropical depression of some severity. The centre of the system passed about 300 km east of North Cape at noon on the 9th. Pressures to the north of East Cape began to fall, and large pressure gradients across the North Island were created with a resultant strong south-easterly wind flow. As pressure gradients began to increase, so too did surface south-easterly winds. The winds reached their peak intensity over the Central Volcanic Plateau and Gisborne region.
The intense southeasterly storm affected the East Coast and Central North Island.
Two features in the behaviour of Cyclone Bernie resembled Cyclone Giselle of April 1968: both cyclones followed rather similar tracks and both occurred in early April, affecting New Zealand on the same days of the month, the 9th and 10th.
Damage to New Zealand was confined to the North Island.
Losses to crops, including kiwifruit, apples, citrus trees, sweetcorn and maize, were widespread in the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne.
Losses to livestock were widespread in the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne.
The central pressure in the depression fell below 9687 mb (968.7 hPa).
High Wind / Gust
Sustained winds of not less than 60 knots (111 km/hr) were experienced within the circulation on the 9th and 10th.
Winds over the Central Volcanic Plateau and East Coast Regions reached gale force, with localised areas of damage consistent with storm force winds.
Extensive damage was done to exotic production forest. On the central volcanic plateau of the North Island, 12,460 ha of forest was destroyed and an estimated 3.4 cubic meters of timber lost.
The following North Island exotic forests were affected by the storm: Kaingaroa State Forest, Waimihia, Broadlands, Tauhara, Waitahanui, Opepe, Wainui, Waimihia and Lake Taupo. Indigenous forests along the ranges and adjacent to the Kaingaroa Plain forest also suffered considerable damage, in the Kaimanawa Ranges, Kaweka Ranges, West Taupo Forest, Raukumara Range and the Waioeka and Whirinaki State Forest.
An estimated 33% of the Urewera National Park suffered moderate to severe wind damage.
Buildings in the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne suffered structural damage.
Power and telephone links were cut in the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne.
Gale-force winds brought trees crashing down in the central North Island and closed four state highways.
Northland
Multi Hazard
at
Northland
When the centre of the storm passed close to the ship "Forum Samoa", about 300 km east of North Cape at noon on the 9th, a minimum pressure of 967 hPa was reported.
In Northland many newly shorn lambs died from exposure. Losses of 500 on one farm were quoted as 'typical'.
Auckland
Heavy Rain
at
Auckland City
Auckland recorded 91.7 mm (9.17 cm) of rain in 24 hours to 9pm on the 9th.
Landslide
The downpour triggered a small landslide at a cliff-top section at Tokoroa Pt, near Laingholm. The slide took the cliff face to less than two metres from the front doorstep.
Waikato
Multi Hazard
at
Waikato
State Highway 30 between Benneydale and Atiamuri was blocked.
High Wind / Gust
at
Cambridge
The gale-force winds brought down trees around Cambridge and some in Hamilton.
High Wind / Gust
at
Rangitaiki
The Rangitaiki anemometer recorded storm force winds of 48-55 kts (89-102 km/hr), maintained for at least 14 hours.
High Wind / Gust
at
Tauhara Hill
At Tauhara Forest, 1,176 ha was damaged and 426,700 m^3 of timber damaged, 80% by windthrow and 20% by windbreak. The damaged stands were aged 13-53 years old.
High Wind / Gust
at
Taupo
Taupo recorded a peak wind gust of 60 knots (111 km/hr) on the 9th, at 160 degrees true.
In the Taupo area a maximum wind speed of 105 km/hr was recorded on the 10th.
At Taupo and Kaingaroa, winds in the lee of the ranges averaged 25-35 kts (46-65 km/hr) with gusts of 50-60 kt (93-111 km/hr).
The storm seriously affected 890 ha of 10-12-year-old Pinus radiata at Lake Taupo.
Over 5000 ha was severly damaged in NZFS and TFL forests.
High Wind / Gust
at
Thames
One person was injured when the car they were a passenger in was crushed by a falling tree in Thames.
Multi Hazard
Near Thames, a van carrying six passengers ran off the coast road in stormy conditions and crashed into the sea. All six escaped uninjured.
Landslide
The Thames-Coromandel highway was closed due to slips.
Maritime / Coastal
The high tide advanced over the jetty and covered some streets and front lawns in a metre of water.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Whangamata
At Whangamata, a launch sank at its moorings.
Bay of Plenty
Multi Hazard
at
Bay of Plenty
High winds and rain were experienced in the Bay of Plenty from the 8th to the 10th. There was a severe southerly storm on the 9th.
Loss and damage to kiwifruit crops in the Bay of Plenty was estimated at $1.2 million ($3,700,000 2008 dollars). 5-20% of the export crop was lost or damaged.
There were also avocado, citrus and apple crop losses.
High Wind / Gust
The storm was aggravated by the wind direction and gusts.
Power lines were damaged and many people were without power. Large areas of Rotorua were in darkness and the power was cut on Opotiki, part of the Ohope peninsula, and parts of Kaingaroa and Minginui.
Trees were blown down due to the unusual angle of the winds.
The main damage was in the Te Puke-Pongakawa-Welcome Bay area.
In the Bay of Plenty, approximately 3500 ha of forest was damaged and approximately 1.8 million m^3 of timber was downed. 300,000 of the 370,000 m^3 blown down and 1.3 million of the 1.8 million m^3 affected was old crop.
The highest south-east gust speed (obtained by averaging for Rotorua, Gisborne and Tauranga) was 57 knots (106 km/hr). This had a Return Period of 90 years.
A light helicopter crashed while on a mission to pick up four stranded hunters. The hunting party made their own way out but the helicopter pilot broke his arm in the crash.
Multi Hazard
State highways 35 from Opotiki to Te Kaha and 38 at Murupara was blocked.
High Wind / Gust
at
Broadlands Forest
At Broadlands Forest, 40 ha was damaged and 14,400 m^3 of timber damaged by windthrow. The damaged stands were 18 years old.
High Wind / Gust
at
Kaingaroa Forest
Extensive damage was done to forests in the Kaingaroa area. At Kaingaroa Forest, 11,243 ha was damaged and 3,000,000 m^3 of timber damaged by windthrow and windbreak. The damaged stands were aged 1-50 years old.
Kaingaroa recorded a peak wind gust of 56 knots (104 km/hr) on the 9th, at 140 degrees true.
Kaingaroa, in the centre of the Kaingaroa Plain, recorded a mean wind speed of 40 kts (74 km/hr).
Kaingaroa recorded gusts of 50 kts (93 km/hr).
High Wind / Gust
at
Kaitemako
Trees fell and brought down power lines in Kaitemako Road.
Multi Hazard
at
Katikati
Katikati was hard hit by the storm.
The winds twisted service wires, breaking the supply.
Roofs were lifted and window blown in.
Kiwifruit crops were bruised.
Flooding
at
Motu River
One person was drowned when flooding conditions caused problems for a rafting expedition on the Motu River.
The Motu River swelled to 4 m above its normal level.
High Wind / Gust
at
Mount Maunganui
At Mt Maunganui, fences, trees, and signs were blown over.
Mt Maunganui exerienced winds of 40-50 knots (74-93 km/hr).
High Wind / Gust
at
Rotorua
Rotorua Aerodrome recorded a peak wind gust of 61 knots (113 km/hr) on the 9th, at 160 degrees true.
High Wind / Gust
at
Tauranga
Tauranga airport recorded wind gusts of up to 50 knots (93 km/hr) on the 9th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Te Paripari
22 people were in a farm house at Te Paripari, east of Opotiki, when the home was torn apart by the storm. No one was injured.
High Wind / Gust
at
Tikitere
The eastsouth-east gale resulted in many broken tops and a few toppled trees at Tikitere.
The 24-hour wind run for the 9th was 893 km.
Gisborne
High Wind / Gust
at
Gisborne
The whole East Cape and Gisborne area suffered power and telephone cuts.
There were large scale lossess of sweetcorn and maize crops (up to 80% on some farms).
Mean wind speeds at Gisborne and East Cape reached 35-38 kts (65-70 km/hr).
High Wind / Gust
at
East Cape
At East Cape, winds reached hurricane force.
East Cape Lighthouse recorded a mean wind speed of 62 knots (115 km/hr) - the highest mean wind speed associated with Cyclone Bernie.
East Cape Lighthouse recorded peak gusts of above 93 knots (172 km/hr).
High Wind / Gust
at
Gisborne City
In Gisborne, house roofs were damaged and a grandstand roof was blown off.
High Wind / Gust
at
Te Araroa
At Te Araroa, roofs and chimneys were blown off and verandahs and carports were damaged.
An elderly man was killed when a falling tree crushed a car.
Hawke's Bay
High Wind / Gust
at
Mahia Peninsula
A 15-metre yacht was blown ashore at Mahia Peninsula.
Communications had been blacked out on the peninsula by the storm.
High Wind / Gust
at
Napier
Mean wind speeds at Napier reached 35-38 kts (65-70 km/hr).
Taranaki
High Wind / Gust
at
Taranaki
The storm tore roofs from dozens of houses, smashed windows and walls and demolished farm buildings.
Damage was estimated at $500,000 ($1,560,000 2008 dollars).
Electricity was cut to many homes.
In North Taranaki, the Civil Defence organisation was put on standby as te worst gales in 20 years swept the area.
Maritime / Coastal
Two yachts were sunk.
High Wind / Gust
at
New Plymouth
New Plymouth Airport recorded peak wind gusts of 85 knots (157 km/hr) on the 9th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Pukeiti Hill
Over 3,000 trees were lost in the Pukeiti Rhododendron Trust Gardens.
References
- Brown, P.C.; Jones, S. Wind risk in the Bay of Plenty. Workshop on Wind damage in New Zealand Exotic Forests, Ministry of Forestry, FRI Bulletin 146.
- Knowles, R.L.; Paton, V.J. The effect of final-crop stocking on wind damage at Tikitere. Workshop on Wind damage in New Zealand Exotic Forests, Ministry of Forestry, FRI Bulletin 146.
- Littlejohn, R.N. (1984). Extreme winds and forest devastation resulting from Cyclone 'Bernie'. Weather and Climate 4(2).
- New Zealand Meteorological Service. Meteorological Observations for 1982, Stations in New Zealand and Outlying Islands, and Antarctica.
- New Zealand Meteorological Service. Technicial Information Circular No.191, Extreme Wind Gusts.
- New, D. Accounting for New Zealand Plantation's Risk to Wind Damage - facing the facts. Workshop on Wind damage in New Zealand Exotic Forests, Ministry of Forestry, FRI Bulletin 146.
- Revell, C.G.; Ward, G.F.A. (1982). Tropical Cyclone 'Bernie', 1-14 April 1982. Weather and Climate: Journal of the Meteorological Society of New Zealand (inc) 2(2).
- Headline: Gale batters Western Bay.
- The Bay of Plenty Times, 10 April 1982.
- Headline: Five On Yacht In Distress As Storm Lashes Coast.
- The New Zealand Herald, 10 April (Saturday) 1982.
- Headline: The Weather.
- The New Zealand Herald, 10 April (Saturday) 1982.
- Headline: Wild River Puts Dozens In Danger.
- The New Zealand Herald, 12 April (Monday) 1982.
- Headline: Time For Cuppa During Storm.
- The New Zealand Herald, 15 April (Thursday) 1982.
- Turner, R.M. Canterbury Plains and Lake Taupo Forests.