NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
December 2015 Canterbury and Otago Storm ( 2015-12-15 )
Canterbury and Otago were hit hard by a severe storm in the afternoon of 15 December 2015. Lightning strikes caused fires, power lines came down, and there were tornadoes, hail storms and flooding. Cooling upper level temperatures over Canterbury and Otago combined with daytime heating led to the development of showers and a few thunderstorms. MetService had a severe thunderstorm watch in place in Christchurch, the Canterbury Plains and high country and North Otago. Weather forecasters were predicting hail up to 3cm across.
Canterbury
Multi Hazard
at
Canterbury
Duration: 1 day - The storm was in the afternoon of 15 December 2015.
Hail damaged crops throughout Canterbury.
Tornadoes were seen on the Canterbury Plains. They were estimated to be category F1 tornadoes.
Tornado
at
Ashburton
A silage trailer was thrown into the air and tipped over by a tornado near Ashburton.
Multi Hazard
at
Christchurch
The Fire Service in Christchurch was inundated with callouts about fires around the region caused by lightning strikes.. Many businesses and residents also experienced flooding from the storm, however, fire crews were so busy they did not get to most of the flooding call-outs. There were roughly 35 to 45 jobs in Christchurch and the surrounding areas within an hour and a-half.
The Christchurch City Council's call centre received a number of calls from residents regarding flooded streets in southern and eastern parts of the city.
The storm caused a power outage in Weedons and Rolleston.
Otago
Hail
at
Dunedin
Just after 5pm the New Zealand and Sri Lankan cricket teams were forced from the field during the test match at the University Oval in Dunedin as heavy hail and rain hit the city.
References
- Headline: Weather takes swipe at South Island
- www.odt.co.nz, 13 December 2015
- Headline: Tornado throws a silage wagon as storm batters southern Canterbury.
- www.stuff.co.nz, 13 December 2015
- Headline: Wild weather in the south: Hail, tornadoes, fires
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 14 December 2015
- Headline: Severe thunderstorm brings tornados to South Island
- www.stuff.co.nz, 14 December 2015
December 2015 Canterbury and Otago Storm ( 2015-12-15 )
Canterbury and Otago were hit hard by a severe storm in the afternoon of 15 December 2015. Lightning strikes caused fires, power lines came down, and there were tornadoes, hail storms and flooding. Cooling upper level temperatures over Canterbury and Otago combined with daytime heating led to the development of showers and a few thunderstorms. MetService had a severe thunderstorm watch in place in Christchurch, the Canterbury Plains and high country and North Otago. Weather forecasters were predicting hail up to 3cm across.
Canterbury
Multi Hazard
at
Canterbury
Duration: 1 day - The storm was in the afternoon of 15 December 2015.
Hail damaged crops throughout Canterbury.
Tornadoes were seen on the Canterbury Plains. They were estimated to be category F1 tornadoes.
Tornado
at
Ashburton
A silage trailer was thrown into the air and tipped over by a tornado near Ashburton.
Multi Hazard
at
Christchurch
The Fire Service in Christchurch was inundated with callouts about fires around the region caused by lightning strikes.. Many businesses and residents also experienced flooding from the storm, however, fire crews were so busy they did not get to most of the flooding call-outs. There were roughly 35 to 45 jobs in Christchurch and the surrounding areas within an hour and a-half.
The Christchurch City Council's call centre received a number of calls from residents regarding flooded streets in southern and eastern parts of the city.
The storm caused a power outage in Weedons and Rolleston.
Otago
Hail
at
Dunedin
Just after 5pm the New Zealand and Sri Lankan cricket teams were forced from the field during the test match at the University Oval in Dunedin as heavy hail and rain hit the city.
References
- Headline: Weather takes swipe at South Island
- www.odt.co.nz, 13 December 2015
- Headline: Tornado throws a silage wagon as storm batters southern Canterbury.
- www.stuff.co.nz, 13 December 2015
- Headline: Wild weather in the south: Hail, tornadoes, fires
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 14 December 2015
- Headline: Severe thunderstorm brings tornados to South Island
- www.stuff.co.nz, 14 December 2015