NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
December 2001 North Island Flooding
(
2001-12-07
)
30-35 years
Thunderstorms brought heavy rain and flooding to central North Island. There was flood damage in Napier, Hastings and Havelock North. There was severe flooding in the Tauranga Taupo River near Turangi. High winds in Wellington caused the cancellation of the Lynx ferry.
North Island
Multi Hazard
at
North Island
Duration: 4 days - There was heavy rain, thunderstorms and flooding from the 7th to the 10th December 2001.
Heavy Rain
Humid rain hit Taupo, Te Kuiti, Hawkes Bay and the East Coast the hardest.
Flooding
Roads in central North Island remained flooded out on the morning of the 10th.
Waikato
Multi Hazard
at
Waikato
A narrow front moved across the Waikato and caused the thunderstorm on the 7th.
Flooding
State Highway 1 between Turangi and Taupo was temporarily closed on the 7th because road works were made messy by heavy rain and flooding. On the 10th the highway was still flooded at various points.
State Highway 30 between Te Kuiti and Benneydale was closed due to flooding on the 10th.
Lightning
at
Hamilton
Lightning sliced through a giant 120-130 year old tree, sending parts on to the roofs of seven Hukanui Primary School classrooms on the 7th.
One classroom had punctures from branches and part of the ceiling collapsed, smashing two fluorescent lights onto the floor. There were no injuries.
All seven rooms were evacuated and the children were sent home.
In Hamilton East the electrical storm damaged more than 100 alarms linked to the Fire Service.
Heavy Rain
at
Tauranga Taupo River
The Tauranga-Taupo catchment at Kiko Road recorded 51 mm (5.1 cm) of rain in three hours.
The Tauranga-Taupo catchment at Kiko Road recorded 86 mm (8.6 cm) of rain in six hours.
The Tauranga-Taupo catchment at Kiko Road recorded 116 mm (11.6 cm) of rain in 12 hours on top of 68 mm (6.8 cm) of rain which had already fallen on the catchment in the six days previous.
The Tauranga-Taupo catchment at Kiko Road recorded 124 mm (12.4 cm) of rain in 24 hours.
Flooding
There was a significant flood event in the Tauranga Taupo River on the 7th.
The river peaked at 2.91 metres on the 7th. This was the highest record since 1976.
Five homes in Oruatua had their lower floors inundated.
State Highway 1 was closed to prevent vehicle bow wave damage to five homes in Oruatua.
The gravel quarry adjacent to the river was inundated due to the river carving a new channel through the stopbank.
Tauranga Taupo River had a peak flow of 295 cumecs (which has a return period of 30-35 years).
There was a significant amount of vegetative debris which accumulated in the lower river channel.
There was accelerated bank erosion in many places.
Bay of Plenty
Flooding
at
Bay of Plenty
Roads were closed due to flooding. State Highway 35 from Torere to Hicks Bay and State Highway 38 east to Ruatahuna were closed.
The approach to the Torere tributary bridge collapsed.
Landslide
Slips caused problems on the East Coast, where bridges became unstable.
A bridge over the Pakihi Stream on State Highway 35 between Opotiki and the East Coast was unstable. The road was closed until further notice.
Gisborne
Flooding
at
Poverty Bay
Roads in Poverty Bay remained flooded out on the morning of the 10th.
Hawke's Bay
Multi Hazard
at
Hawke's Bay
Thunderstorms formed up the eastern coast of New Zealand which resulted in downpours in Marlborough, Wellington, Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay on the 9th.
The area that was affected was lying in a convergence zone between a warm moist northerly air and a cooler southerly. Overrunning was suggested to be a significant factor.
Heavy Rain
It was a 100 year rainfall event for Napier and Hastings city areas.
The downpour washed out Waipukurau races, the Napier Christmas parade and Carols by Candelight events on the 9th.
The rain devastated some early apricot crops and growers said they'd be lucky to recover anything from some blocks.
Napier, Hastings and Havelock North received a month's worth of rain in an hour.
Flooding
The damage figure was in the millions of dollars from water and surface flooding.
Some roofs and shop stock was damaged.
Some of the blame of the flooding was put down to blocked downpipes and drains unable to handle the deluge.
Napier and Hastings fire alarms were triggered by water leaks during the height of the storm.
Fire Service logged 25 calls in Napier and Hastings between 11:15am-1:25pm.
There was widespread flooding in central Napier, Hastings and Havelock North. Four major retailers and scores of smaller shops flooded as the downpour overflowed gutters and turned streets into rivers.
Heavy Rain
at
Hastings
Hastings recorded 50 mm (5.0 cm) of rain in one hour at noon on the 9th.
Flooding
Sudden bursts of rain caused surface flooding in Hastings and Havelock North.
Part of a roof at Farmers caved in and sent water cascading over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture.
K Mart had flooding at the entrances. At Briscoes there was ceiling damage and flooding. Spotlight had ceiling and stock damage and extensive flooding, The veterinary services had roof damage and flooding.
Almost every shop in the main business centre of Heretaunga Street had some flooding and damage.
Summer fruit crops were damaged.
There was flood damage to shops and houses.
Flooding
at
Havelock North
Sudden bursts of rain caused surface flooding in Havelock North.
Summer fruit crops were damaged.
There was flood damage to shops and houses.
Heavy Rain
at
Napier
Napier recorded 50 mm (5.0 cm) of rain in one hour at noon on the 9th.
Flooding
Para Rubber and a furniture shop had extensive flooding. The electrical arching set fire to roof at Firman Marine and Tamatea Intermediate School suffered electrical damage and was closed.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Flooding
at
National Park
State Highway 4 to National Park was flooded at various points on the 9th and 10th.
Wellington
High Wind / Gust
at
Cook Strait
There were gusts of up to 100 km/hr in the Cook Strait.
High winds caused the cancellation of the 3:30pm and 7pm Lynx ferry on the 9th.
References
- Environment Waikato Flood Document (CD)
- Headline: A month's rain falls in an hour.
- Hawkes Bay Today, 10 December 2001.
- Johnston, D.D., and Pearse, L.J. 2007. Hazards in Hawke's Bay. Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Napier, New Zealand.
- NZ Met Service. (2008). Meteorology of Extreme Rainfalls in New Zealand (Mark Pascoe, Ed.).
- Reference: Hawkes Bay Regional Council: www.hbrc.govt.nz
- Tauranga-Taupo River Flood Event, Dec 7, 2001, Emergency Management Sub-Committee, Adam Munro
- Headline: Lightning smashes branch into classroom.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 8 December 2001.
- Headline: Hawke's Bay flood damage likely to be in millions.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: Hawkes Bay Today, 10 December 2001.
- Headline: Flood-hit regions bracing for repeat of tropical rain.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZ Herald and NZPA, 10 December 2001.
- Headline: Flood threat in lower South Island.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 10 December 2001.
- Headline: Sandbags on standby as flooding threatens Queenstown.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 11 December 2001.
December 2001 North Island Flooding
(
2001-12-07
)
30-35 years
Thunderstorms brought heavy rain and flooding to central North Island. There was flood damage in Napier, Hastings and Havelock North. There was severe flooding in the Tauranga Taupo River near Turangi. High winds in Wellington caused the cancellation of the Lynx ferry.
North Island
Multi Hazard
at
North Island
Duration: 4 days - There was heavy rain, thunderstorms and flooding from the 7th to the 10th December 2001.
Heavy Rain
Humid rain hit Taupo, Te Kuiti, Hawkes Bay and the East Coast the hardest.
Flooding
Roads in central North Island remained flooded out on the morning of the 10th.
Waikato
Multi Hazard
at
Waikato
A narrow front moved across the Waikato and caused the thunderstorm on the 7th.
Flooding
State Highway 1 between Turangi and Taupo was temporarily closed on the 7th because road works were made messy by heavy rain and flooding. On the 10th the highway was still flooded at various points.
State Highway 30 between Te Kuiti and Benneydale was closed due to flooding on the 10th.
Lightning
at
Hamilton
Lightning sliced through a giant 120-130 year old tree, sending parts on to the roofs of seven Hukanui Primary School classrooms on the 7th.
One classroom had punctures from branches and part of the ceiling collapsed, smashing two fluorescent lights onto the floor. There were no injuries.
All seven rooms were evacuated and the children were sent home.
In Hamilton East the electrical storm damaged more than 100 alarms linked to the Fire Service.
Heavy Rain
at
Tauranga Taupo River
The Tauranga-Taupo catchment at Kiko Road recorded 51 mm (5.1 cm) of rain in three hours.
The Tauranga-Taupo catchment at Kiko Road recorded 86 mm (8.6 cm) of rain in six hours.
The Tauranga-Taupo catchment at Kiko Road recorded 116 mm (11.6 cm) of rain in 12 hours on top of 68 mm (6.8 cm) of rain which had already fallen on the catchment in the six days previous.
The Tauranga-Taupo catchment at Kiko Road recorded 124 mm (12.4 cm) of rain in 24 hours.
Flooding
There was a significant flood event in the Tauranga Taupo River on the 7th.
The river peaked at 2.91 metres on the 7th. This was the highest record since 1976.
Five homes in Oruatua had their lower floors inundated.
State Highway 1 was closed to prevent vehicle bow wave damage to five homes in Oruatua.
The gravel quarry adjacent to the river was inundated due to the river carving a new channel through the stopbank.
Tauranga Taupo River had a peak flow of 295 cumecs (which has a return period of 30-35 years).
There was a significant amount of vegetative debris which accumulated in the lower river channel.
There was accelerated bank erosion in many places.
Bay of Plenty
Flooding
at
Bay of Plenty
Roads were closed due to flooding. State Highway 35 from Torere to Hicks Bay and State Highway 38 east to Ruatahuna were closed.
The approach to the Torere tributary bridge collapsed.
Landslide
Slips caused problems on the East Coast, where bridges became unstable.
A bridge over the Pakihi Stream on State Highway 35 between Opotiki and the East Coast was unstable. The road was closed until further notice.
Gisborne
Flooding
at
Poverty Bay
Roads in Poverty Bay remained flooded out on the morning of the 10th.
Hawke's Bay
Multi Hazard
at
Hawke's Bay
Thunderstorms formed up the eastern coast of New Zealand which resulted in downpours in Marlborough, Wellington, Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay on the 9th.
The area that was affected was lying in a convergence zone between a warm moist northerly air and a cooler southerly. Overrunning was suggested to be a significant factor.
Heavy Rain
It was a 100 year rainfall event for Napier and Hastings city areas.
The downpour washed out Waipukurau races, the Napier Christmas parade and Carols by Candelight events on the 9th.
The rain devastated some early apricot crops and growers said they'd be lucky to recover anything from some blocks.
Napier, Hastings and Havelock North received a month's worth of rain in an hour.
Flooding
The damage figure was in the millions of dollars from water and surface flooding.
Some roofs and shop stock was damaged.
Some of the blame of the flooding was put down to blocked downpipes and drains unable to handle the deluge.
Napier and Hastings fire alarms were triggered by water leaks during the height of the storm.
Fire Service logged 25 calls in Napier and Hastings between 11:15am-1:25pm.
There was widespread flooding in central Napier, Hastings and Havelock North. Four major retailers and scores of smaller shops flooded as the downpour overflowed gutters and turned streets into rivers.
Heavy Rain
at
Hastings
Hastings recorded 50 mm (5.0 cm) of rain in one hour at noon on the 9th.
Flooding
Sudden bursts of rain caused surface flooding in Hastings and Havelock North.
Part of a roof at Farmers caved in and sent water cascading over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture.
K Mart had flooding at the entrances. At Briscoes there was ceiling damage and flooding. Spotlight had ceiling and stock damage and extensive flooding, The veterinary services had roof damage and flooding.
Almost every shop in the main business centre of Heretaunga Street had some flooding and damage.
Summer fruit crops were damaged.
There was flood damage to shops and houses.
Flooding
at
Havelock North
Sudden bursts of rain caused surface flooding in Havelock North.
Summer fruit crops were damaged.
There was flood damage to shops and houses.
Heavy Rain
at
Napier
Napier recorded 50 mm (5.0 cm) of rain in one hour at noon on the 9th.
Flooding
Para Rubber and a furniture shop had extensive flooding. The electrical arching set fire to roof at Firman Marine and Tamatea Intermediate School suffered electrical damage and was closed.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Flooding
at
National Park
State Highway 4 to National Park was flooded at various points on the 9th and 10th.
Wellington
High Wind / Gust
at
Cook Strait
There were gusts of up to 100 km/hr in the Cook Strait.
High winds caused the cancellation of the 3:30pm and 7pm Lynx ferry on the 9th.
References
- Environment Waikato Flood Document (CD)
- Headline: A month's rain falls in an hour.
- Hawkes Bay Today, 10 December 2001.
- Johnston, D.D., and Pearse, L.J. 2007. Hazards in Hawke's Bay. Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Napier, New Zealand.
- NZ Met Service. (2008). Meteorology of Extreme Rainfalls in New Zealand (Mark Pascoe, Ed.).
- Reference: Hawkes Bay Regional Council: www.hbrc.govt.nz
- Tauranga-Taupo River Flood Event, Dec 7, 2001, Emergency Management Sub-Committee, Adam Munro
- Headline: Lightning smashes branch into classroom.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 8 December 2001.
- Headline: Hawke's Bay flood damage likely to be in millions.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: Hawkes Bay Today, 10 December 2001.
- Headline: Flood-hit regions bracing for repeat of tropical rain.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZ Herald and NZPA, 10 December 2001.
- Headline: Flood threat in lower South Island.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 10 December 2001.
- Headline: Sandbags on standby as flooding threatens Queenstown.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 11 December 2001.