The third storm of three in a one-week period. Heavy rain and thunderstorms throughout central New Zealand caused further damage, particularly in Wellington where landslips caused evacuations.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 11:23 am 01-Aug-2008: Another period of stormy weather expected over the weekend. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Taranaki and the hill country inland to Mt Ruapehu and Taupo, including Waitomo, Taumarunui and the headwaters of the Whanganui River, also eastern Bay of Plenty.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:40 pm 01-Aug-2008: Another period of stormy weather expected over the weekend – Tararuas added to rain warning. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Taranaki and the hill country inland to Mt Ruapehu and Taupo, including Waitomo, Taumarunui and the headwaters of the Whanganui River, also eastern Bay of Plenty, also the Tararuas.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:58 am 02-Aug-2008: Another period of stormy weather expected over the weekend. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Taranaki and the hill country inland to Mt Ruapehu and Taupo, including Waitomo, Taumarunui and the headwaters of the Whanganui River, also eastern Bay of Plenty, the Tararua Ranges, the ranges of Nelson, the Richmond Ranges and Marlborough Sounds, and STRONG WIND WARNING for: Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay.
MetService SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH issued at 09:09 am Saturday 02 August 2008. This watch affects people in the following weather forecast districts: Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Gisborne and Taranaki.
MetService SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH issued at 03:35 pm Saturday 02 August 2008. This watch affects people in the following weather forecast districts: Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Gisborne and Taranaki.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:07 pm 02-Aug-2008: Further heavy rain about the Central North Island high country and upper South Island overnight and on Sunday, severe gale westerlies about the Central North Island on Sunday. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Mt Taranaki, the Central North Island high country, eastern Bay of Plenty, the Tararua Ranges, the ranges of Nelson, the Richmond Ranges and the Marlborough Sounds, and STRONG WIND WARNING for: Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 11:24 pm 02-Aug-2008: Further heavy rain about the Central North Island high country and upper South Island overnight and on Sunday, severe gale westerlies about the Central North Island on Sunday. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Mt Taranaki, the Central North Island high country, eastern Bay of Plenty, the Tararua Ranges, the ranges of Nelson, the Richmond Ranges and the Marlborough Sounds, and STRONG WIND WARNING for: Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 9:00 am 03-Aug-2008: Heavy rain easing in most areas this morning, severe gale westerlies about Central North Island easing this afternoon. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Bay of Plenty east of Whakatane and the Tararua Range, and STRONG WIND WARNING for: Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay. WARNINGS NO LONGER IN FORCE: Heavy Rain Warning lifted for Mt Taranaki, the Central North Island high country, the ranges of Nelson, the Richmond Ranges and the Marlborough Sounds.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 4:51 pm 03-Aug-2008: Winds about Central North Island have eased, rain about eastern Bay of Plenty ranges has eased but some heavy falls still likely in Tararuas and Mt Taranaki until morning. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: the Tararua Ranges and Mt Taranaki. WARNINGS NO LONGER IN FORCE: Heavy Rain Warning lifted for Bay of Plenty east of Whakatane, and Strong Wind Warning lifted for Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:10 pm 03-Aug-2008: Rain heavy at times overnight on the Tararuas and Mt Taranaki. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: the Tararua Ranges and Mt Taranaki.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 7:55 am 04-Aug-2008: Heavy rain has now eased. WARNINGS NO LONGER IN FORCE: Heavy Rain Warning lifted for the Tararua Range and Mt Taranaki.
The storm was faster moving than the pevious two storms, and brought with it gale force winds and more heavy rain.
From the afternoon of the 2nd August until the 6th August.
On the 2nd, a low pressure deepened in the Tasman Sea, and associated fronts crossed northern and central New Zealand overnight on the 2nd/3rd. The system was fast-moving, and by later on the 3rd a disturbed south-westerly flow covered the country.
By 2nd August, rugby games for 7000 juniors and 6000 secondary school players had been cancelled as councils tried to dry soaked fields.
There were some thunderstorms around Central New Zealand early morning on the 5th.
The Waipa River system and the Waikato River were running high. The Waikato River was flowing at about three times its normal rate and threatened to flood SH1 north of Mercer.
Some low-lying dairy farms had water-covered paddocks. Many farmers were forced to buy extra feed for animals or pay for grazing elsewhere as they waited for flood waters and pooling to drain away. Stock condition deteriorated due to wet conditions. Mastitis became an animal health issue for farmers and some farmers faced hefty veterinary bills.
A man (21 years old) drowned in the flood-swollen Waikato River after falling off the Victoria Bridge at about 11:20pm on the 2nd. He had been leaning over the railing when he lost his footing. Two of his teammates tried to rescue him, but the fast current carried the man downstream and he went under and never came back up.
Huntly College was closed on the 4th and 5th due to the rising level of the Waikato River and because there was sewerage as well as water and mud everywhere. On the 4th, the high water table was forcing seepage through the ground, with mini lakes forming on the riverside of the school.
Some of the Huntly College grounds were already covered by 20-30 cm of water on the 4th.
At 7am on the 4th, the Waikato River level was 10.3 m at the Huntly power station.
On the morning of the 3rd, Lake Taupo was only 11 cm below its maximum storage level of 357.25m after heavy overnight rain.
On the morning of the 4th, the river was about 10 cm from the top of the stopbank at Mangatawhiri.
On a Mercer farm, water was more than 1 m deep in places and covered about 100ha of the 320ha property. The sharemilker's house was almost completely surrounded by water. Water had been pooling for about 10 days after recent relentless rain.
The coastal settlement of Mokau had been badly hit by severe erosion from high seas whipped up by northerly storms for the last forntnight, endangering seafront properties. The tide on the night of the 3rd was the worst. On the 4th the locals awoke to find massive damage, including the wreckage of a large shed that had crashed down from a private property onto Mokau Beach below.
People living along the waterfront said they had lost at least 5 m of land in recent days.
Three people were killed when a van and a car collided on Glen Murray Rd near Rangiriri at about 8pm on the 2nd. Driving wind and rain had made for low visibility at the time of the crash. A car travelling west had lost control, crossed the centre line and collided with a van. The van driver and the two men in the car died at the scene.
Tirau Primary School endured extensive flooding due to relentless heavy rain, too much water from a storm water drain at the back of the school and runoff from SH27. In the first few weeks of August $2000 of newly laid bark in the adventure playground had been washed away.
Beaches in the Bay of Plenty were being buried under debris.
Heavy rain and winds started to buffet the region at 4pm on the 2nd.
There were some thunderstorms around Taranaki early morning on the 5th.
A house in Eltham was damaged by lightning on the 5th.
Metservice recorded up to 170 mm (17 cm) of rain on Mt Taranaki in the 24 hours to 8pm on the 2nd.
A tornado occurred in Weraroa at around 3:55am on the 4th amidst torrential rain.
The tornado ripped through a property in Kimberly Rd, Weraroa, as residents awoke to hear what sounded like trains coming towards their house. The tornado appeared to have started near the neighbours' woolshed before striking the house and garage. The garage was almost totally destroyed, about 20 trees were lost, and the house suffered extensive structural damage and was left with warped floors. The cars in the driveway must have been lifted by the force of the tornado as there were items stuck under the wheels. The family had no water afterwards as their water tank was ripped off the roof during the tornado. The neighbours' 60-year-old woolshed was destroyed, and sections of corrugated iron roof were scattered up to 1.5 kilometres away.
The tornado lasted about 10 seconds.
Wellington had heavy rain overnight on the 2nd, along with dramatic thunder and lightning.
Wellington received 36 mm (3.6 cm) of rain.
Wellington had received 69 mm (6.9 cm) of rain in the month up to the 6th August.
The Tararua Ranges were already receiving a drenching on the morning of the 2nd.
Heavy rain on the evening of the 2nd raised levels of fords and rivers around Marlborough again.
MetService recorded 40.6 mm (4.1 cm) of rain in Blenheim in the 24-hour period until 9am on the 3rd.
Old Renwick Road out of Blenheim remained severed by the Omaka River on the 3rd.
In central Blenheim, the Taylor River rose slightly with the additional rain. The recreational reserve was closed.
Overnight on the 2nd, Brookby Rd and Hawkesbury Rd were closed because of flooding.
Overnight on the 2nd, Waihopai Valley Rd was closed because of fallen trees.
The Stoke Volunteer Fire Brigade had a busy weekend responding to floods and damage caused by heavy rain.
Firefighters were called to a badly flooded house in Devon St at 7.45pm on the 2nd.
A gust of wind blew roofing off a Marsden Rd house at around 8.30pm on the 2nd.
At a house on Cherry Ave, the build-up of water from a leaking roof caused the ceiling to collapse on the 3rd.
The third storm of three in a one-week period. Heavy rain and thunderstorms throughout central New Zealand caused further damage, particularly in Wellington where landslips caused evacuations.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 11:23 am 01-Aug-2008: Another period of stormy weather expected over the weekend. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Taranaki and the hill country inland to Mt Ruapehu and Taupo, including Waitomo, Taumarunui and the headwaters of the Whanganui River, also eastern Bay of Plenty.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:40 pm 01-Aug-2008: Another period of stormy weather expected over the weekend – Tararuas added to rain warning. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Taranaki and the hill country inland to Mt Ruapehu and Taupo, including Waitomo, Taumarunui and the headwaters of the Whanganui River, also eastern Bay of Plenty, also the Tararuas.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:58 am 02-Aug-2008: Another period of stormy weather expected over the weekend. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Taranaki and the hill country inland to Mt Ruapehu and Taupo, including Waitomo, Taumarunui and the headwaters of the Whanganui River, also eastern Bay of Plenty, the Tararua Ranges, the ranges of Nelson, the Richmond Ranges and Marlborough Sounds, and STRONG WIND WARNING for: Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay.
MetService SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH issued at 09:09 am Saturday 02 August 2008. This watch affects people in the following weather forecast districts: Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Gisborne and Taranaki.
MetService SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH issued at 03:35 pm Saturday 02 August 2008. This watch affects people in the following weather forecast districts: Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Gisborne and Taranaki.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:07 pm 02-Aug-2008: Further heavy rain about the Central North Island high country and upper South Island overnight and on Sunday, severe gale westerlies about the Central North Island on Sunday. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Mt Taranaki, the Central North Island high country, eastern Bay of Plenty, the Tararua Ranges, the ranges of Nelson, the Richmond Ranges and the Marlborough Sounds, and STRONG WIND WARNING for: Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 11:24 pm 02-Aug-2008: Further heavy rain about the Central North Island high country and upper South Island overnight and on Sunday, severe gale westerlies about the Central North Island on Sunday. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Mt Taranaki, the Central North Island high country, eastern Bay of Plenty, the Tararua Ranges, the ranges of Nelson, the Richmond Ranges and the Marlborough Sounds, and STRONG WIND WARNING for: Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 9:00 am 03-Aug-2008: Heavy rain easing in most areas this morning, severe gale westerlies about Central North Island easing this afternoon. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: Bay of Plenty east of Whakatane and the Tararua Range, and STRONG WIND WARNING for: Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay. WARNINGS NO LONGER IN FORCE: Heavy Rain Warning lifted for Mt Taranaki, the Central North Island high country, the ranges of Nelson, the Richmond Ranges and the Marlborough Sounds.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 4:51 pm 03-Aug-2008: Winds about Central North Island have eased, rain about eastern Bay of Plenty ranges has eased but some heavy falls still likely in Tararuas and Mt Taranaki until morning. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: the Tararua Ranges and Mt Taranaki. WARNINGS NO LONGER IN FORCE: Heavy Rain Warning lifted for Bay of Plenty east of Whakatane, and Strong Wind Warning lifted for Taranaki, the Central North Island high country and Hawkes Bay.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 8:10 pm 03-Aug-2008: Rain heavy at times overnight on the Tararuas and Mt Taranaki. Includes HEAVY RAIN WARNING for: the Tararua Ranges and Mt Taranaki.
MetService SEVERE WEATHER WARNING issued at 7:55 am 04-Aug-2008: Heavy rain has now eased. WARNINGS NO LONGER IN FORCE: Heavy Rain Warning lifted for the Tararua Range and Mt Taranaki.
The storm was faster moving than the pevious two storms, and brought with it gale force winds and more heavy rain.
From the afternoon of the 2nd August until the 6th August.
On the 2nd, a low pressure deepened in the Tasman Sea, and associated fronts crossed northern and central New Zealand overnight on the 2nd/3rd. The system was fast-moving, and by later on the 3rd a disturbed south-westerly flow covered the country.
By 2nd August, rugby games for 7000 juniors and 6000 secondary school players had been cancelled as councils tried to dry soaked fields.
There were some thunderstorms around Central New Zealand early morning on the 5th.
The Waipa River system and the Waikato River were running high. The Waikato River was flowing at about three times its normal rate and threatened to flood SH1 north of Mercer.
Some low-lying dairy farms had water-covered paddocks. Many farmers were forced to buy extra feed for animals or pay for grazing elsewhere as they waited for flood waters and pooling to drain away. Stock condition deteriorated due to wet conditions. Mastitis became an animal health issue for farmers and some farmers faced hefty veterinary bills.
A man (21 years old) drowned in the flood-swollen Waikato River after falling off the Victoria Bridge at about 11:20pm on the 2nd. He had been leaning over the railing when he lost his footing. Two of his teammates tried to rescue him, but the fast current carried the man downstream and he went under and never came back up.
Huntly College was closed on the 4th and 5th due to the rising level of the Waikato River and because there was sewerage as well as water and mud everywhere. On the 4th, the high water table was forcing seepage through the ground, with mini lakes forming on the riverside of the school.
Some of the Huntly College grounds were already covered by 20-30 cm of water on the 4th.
At 7am on the 4th, the Waikato River level was 10.3 m at the Huntly power station.
On the morning of the 3rd, Lake Taupo was only 11 cm below its maximum storage level of 357.25m after heavy overnight rain.
On the morning of the 4th, the river was about 10 cm from the top of the stopbank at Mangatawhiri.
On a Mercer farm, water was more than 1 m deep in places and covered about 100ha of the 320ha property. The sharemilker's house was almost completely surrounded by water. Water had been pooling for about 10 days after recent relentless rain.
The coastal settlement of Mokau had been badly hit by severe erosion from high seas whipped up by northerly storms for the last forntnight, endangering seafront properties. The tide on the night of the 3rd was the worst. On the 4th the locals awoke to find massive damage, including the wreckage of a large shed that had crashed down from a private property onto Mokau Beach below.
People living along the waterfront said they had lost at least 5 m of land in recent days.
Three people were killed when a van and a car collided on Glen Murray Rd near Rangiriri at about 8pm on the 2nd. Driving wind and rain had made for low visibility at the time of the crash. A car travelling west had lost control, crossed the centre line and collided with a van. The van driver and the two men in the car died at the scene.
Tirau Primary School endured extensive flooding due to relentless heavy rain, too much water from a storm water drain at the back of the school and runoff from SH27. In the first few weeks of August $2000 of newly laid bark in the adventure playground had been washed away.
Beaches in the Bay of Plenty were being buried under debris.
Heavy rain and winds started to buffet the region at 4pm on the 2nd.
There were some thunderstorms around Taranaki early morning on the 5th.
A house in Eltham was damaged by lightning on the 5th.
Metservice recorded up to 170 mm (17 cm) of rain on Mt Taranaki in the 24 hours to 8pm on the 2nd.
A tornado occurred in Weraroa at around 3:55am on the 4th amidst torrential rain.
The tornado ripped through a property in Kimberly Rd, Weraroa, as residents awoke to hear what sounded like trains coming towards their house. The tornado appeared to have started near the neighbours' woolshed before striking the house and garage. The garage was almost totally destroyed, about 20 trees were lost, and the house suffered extensive structural damage and was left with warped floors. The cars in the driveway must have been lifted by the force of the tornado as there were items stuck under the wheels. The family had no water afterwards as their water tank was ripped off the roof during the tornado. The neighbours' 60-year-old woolshed was destroyed, and sections of corrugated iron roof were scattered up to 1.5 kilometres away.
The tornado lasted about 10 seconds.
Wellington had heavy rain overnight on the 2nd, along with dramatic thunder and lightning.
Wellington received 36 mm (3.6 cm) of rain.
Wellington had received 69 mm (6.9 cm) of rain in the month up to the 6th August.
The Tararua Ranges were already receiving a drenching on the morning of the 2nd.
Heavy rain on the evening of the 2nd raised levels of fords and rivers around Marlborough again.
MetService recorded 40.6 mm (4.1 cm) of rain in Blenheim in the 24-hour period until 9am on the 3rd.
Old Renwick Road out of Blenheim remained severed by the Omaka River on the 3rd.
In central Blenheim, the Taylor River rose slightly with the additional rain. The recreational reserve was closed.
Overnight on the 2nd, Brookby Rd and Hawkesbury Rd were closed because of flooding.
Overnight on the 2nd, Waihopai Valley Rd was closed because of fallen trees.
The Stoke Volunteer Fire Brigade had a busy weekend responding to floods and damage caused by heavy rain.
Firefighters were called to a badly flooded house in Devon St at 7.45pm on the 2nd.
A gust of wind blew roofing off a Marsden Rd house at around 8.30pm on the 2nd.
At a house on Cherry Ave, the build-up of water from a leaking roof caused the ceiling to collapse on the 3rd.