NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
February 2009 North Island and Nelson Flooding
(
2009-02-10
)
Heavy rain brought minor flooding to various places in the North Island and in Tasman-Nelson.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
at
New Zealand
Duration: 3 days - From the 10th to the 12th of February.
MetService SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH issued at 06:22 pm Tuesday 10 February 2009 for: Hawkes Bay.
On the 12th, very moist air from the subtropicics was spreading over New Zealand, as a slow moving front intensified.
North Island
Heavy Rain
at
North Island
The Tararua Range received more than 100 mm (10 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Landslide
Slips on the Napier-Taupo road caused delays on the night of the 12th.
Auckland
Heavy Rain
at
Omaha
There was a sudden deluge at Omaha on the afternoon of the 10th.
Omaha received 75 mm (7.5 cm) of rain in 1 hour, most of it within the first half hour.
A resident of Day Dawn Crescent, who had lived in the street since 1982, said she had never seen rain like it before.
Flooding
Several homes and garages in the northern, low-lying part of Omaha were flooded.
The soil was so dry the rain just ran off and the drains could not cope with the amount of water.
Omaha Drive was like a river and water streamed down driveways.
A resident in Esme Grove said the water on his lawn was a couple of inches deep.
Taranaki
Heavy Rain
at
Mount Taranaki
Mt Taranaki recorded 147 mm (14.7 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 6pm on the 12th - the highest rainfall for this event.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Patea
A man was thrown from a boat when it was hit side-on by a wave in heavy seas at Patea on the 11th. He was rescued, barely conscious, and treated for bruises and water ingestion after being battered by waves as he huddled under a cliff for an hour.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Heavy Rain
at
Manawatu-Wanganui
Wanganui and Palmerston North received a deluge on the afternoon of the 10th. The rain had eased by 5pm.
Landslide
at
Manawatu Gorge
A man was driving through the Manawatu Gorge to Ashhurst at 7.20am on the 12th when a boulder and a shower of smaller rocks smashed through the roof of his four-wheel-drive. The boulder was estimated to weigh about 150 kg. The car's interior was destroyed.
Heavy Rain
at
Palmerston North
Palmerston North recorded 51 mm (5.1 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 10th, most of it falling in a short time.
Palmerston North recorded 49 mm (4.9 cm) of rain in 5 hours on the 10th.
The downpour was described as the worst in 50 years.
Fitzherbert Park recorded 75 mm (7.5 cm) of rain on the 10th - believed to be more than what fell in 24 hours during the 100-year flood of 2004.
Between the 9th and the 13th there was 136 mm (13.6 cm) of rain.
Flooding
There was extensive surface flooding in Palmerston North, with water entering some buildings. Sandbagging was carried out in the vicinity of Heretaunga Street near the Little Kawau Stream and in Manuka Street. Water also flooded into parked cars.
Several roads were flooded when stormwater drains were overwhelmed, inculding Manuka and Heretaunga streets and Churchill Avenue. Flooding closed the intersection of Ferguson St and Fitzherbert Ave, and some cars that became trapped in the water had to be towed out. There was a lot of surface flooding stretching from Terrace End to Botanical Rd. Parts of Highbury Ave were flooded when a stream overflowed. Some roads remained closed on the night of the 10th.
At one point there was water up to 1 m deep in some streets.
The Palmerston North City Council received more than 1800 calls about flooding. The Palmerston North fire service attended 60 flood-related callouts, 22 of them by 6.30pm.
Multi Hazard
At New Plymouth Airport, at least four outgoing and three incoming flights were cancelled on the 10th. Two flights were diverted - a plane from Christchurch was forced to fly to Napier by low cloud and rain and a flight from Hamilton was turned back about 8pm.
Heavy Rain
at
Wanganui
Wanagnui recorded 64 mm (6.4 cm) of rain in between 10am and 5pm on the10th.
Wanagnui recorded 55 mm (5.5 cm) of rain in 6 hours on the 10th.
Wanganui received 32 mm (3.2 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Wanganui received 27.8 mm (2.8 cm) of rain in 5 hours from 12pm to 11pm on the 12th.
Flooding
Surface flooding ocurred in Wanganui. Sandbagging was carried out and some properties and businesses were inundated.
Roads were closed around Wanganui. A 500m section of Heads Rd was closed after the water flooded several industrial businesses. Significant flooding was also reported at Springvale and Westmere.
The water on Heads Road rose to knee height.
The flooding was compounded by the very dry ground.
The Wanganui fire service received about 20 calls about flooding.
Wellington
Multi Hazard
at
Wellington
Wet weather and mist contributed to several minor crashes in the Wellington region on the 12th.
Flooding
at
Kaiwharawhara
Surface flooding near 78 Hutt Rd in Kaiwharawhara on the afternoon of the 12th blocked the off-ramp from Aotea Quay to Hutt Rd for a short time
Heavy Rain
at
Kelburn
Kelburn recorded 38 mm (3.8 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 6pm on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt recorded 45 mm (4.5 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 6pm on the 12th.
Lower Hutt recorded 17 mm (1.7 cm) of rain in 1 hour between 5pm and 6pm on the 12th.
Multi Hazard
at
Ngauranga
There was a minor crash at the bottom of Ngauranga Gorge.
Flooding
at
Paekakariki
A slip occurred near Paekakariki just before 9am on the 12th, blocking part of the southbound and delaying traffic for almost an hour.
Multi Hazard
at
Plimmerton
Two cars collided on Grays Rd, State Highway One, in Plimmerton just before 7am. Both drivers were injured and taken to hospital, one man suffering moderate head injuries and the other receiving minor leg injuries.
Multi Hazard
at
Rimutaka Hill
High winds and surface flooding on the Rimutaka Hill Road on State Highway 2 made driving dangerous. Slips on the road on the night of the 12th also caused delays.
Multi Hazard
at
Silverstream
A car rolled just south of the Silverstream Bridge on SH2 and the woman driver was taken to hospital with moderate injuries.
Flooding
at
Strathmore Park
Minor surface flooding in Strathmore had to be pumped out by fire crews.
Flooding
at
Tawa
There was surface flooding across two northbound lanes near the Tawa off ramp on SH 1 late on the morning of the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Wellington International Airport
Wellington Airport recorded 38 mm (3.8 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 6pm on the 12th.
Tasman-Nelson
Heavy Rain
at
Tasman-Nelson
Rainfall was variable on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Appleby
The Appleby catchment received almost 30 mm (3.0 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Brooklyn
Brooklyn recorded 26.8 mm (2.7 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Heavy Rain
at
Collingwood
A farm near Collingwood received close to 70 mm (7.0 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Mahana
Mahana recorded 19 mm (1.9 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Nelson city
There was an exceptionally high tide in Nelson at about midday on the 11th. It was caused by a combination of lunar perigee with a full moon on the 9th, a low atmospheric pressure system crossing the country, and northerly weather pushing the tide in further.
Wakatu Square in the city centre was inundated.
The tide peaked at 4.5 m.
An exceptionally low tide of 0.3 m was reached by 6.03pm on the 11th.
Heavy Rain
Annesbrook recorded 20.3 mm (2.0 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Heavy Rain
at
Richmond
Richmond recorded 35.6 mm (3.6 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Heavy Rain
at
Stoke
Eastern Stoke recorded 29 mm (2.9 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Heavy Rain
at
Wai-iti River
The upper Wai-iti Valley received about 28 mm (2.8 cm) of rain on the 12th.
References
- Headline: Wanganui and Palmerston north mop up after flooding.
- www.3news.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 11 February 2009, 8:08am.
- Headline: Surface flooding in Palmerston North.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 10 February 2009, 4:24pm.
- Headline: Heavy rain to sweep central NZ.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 12 February 2009, 11:36am.
- Headline: Two crashes delay Wellington motorists.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZ Herald, 12 February 2009, 8:28am.
- Headline: Warnings summer downpours predicted.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZ Herald and NZPA, 12 February 2009, 9:01am.
- Headline: Flooding hits central North Island.
- www.radionz.co.nz, 11 February 2009, 5:55am.
- Headline: Heavy rain clearing.
- www.radionz.co.nz, 13 February 2009, 9:19am.
- Headline: Severe weather warning for parts of country.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Stuff.co.nz and Dominion Post, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: Motorists warned to take care.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: It doesn't rain till it pours.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Dominion Post, 11 February 2009.
- Headline: Wet weather and mist causing crashes.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Dominion Post, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: What happened to summer?.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Dominion Post, 13 February 2009.
- Headline: Intense downpour floods city.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Manawatu Standard, 11 February 2009.
- Headline: Gorge rockslide crushes 4WD.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Manawatu Standard, 13 February 2009.
- Headline: You need a strong heart to watch this lot in action.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Manawatu Standard, 16 February 2009.
- Headline: Heaven and Earth collude to cause exceptionally high tide.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Nelson Mail, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: Rain brings welcome relief to farmers, but more needed.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Nelson Mail, 13 February 2009.
- Headline: Too quick for sand.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Rodney Times, 17 February 2009.
- Headline: Region enjoys big downpour.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Taranaki Daily News, 11 February 2009.
- Headline: Man near death when rescued in massive seas.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: Fisherman's tale of survival.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Taranaki Daily News, 16 February 2009.
- Headline: Heavy rain causes problems on roads.
- tvnz.co.nz, Source: ONE News, 12 February 2009, 11:55pm.
- Headline: Driver lucky to miss gorge rockfall.
- www.times-age.co.nz, Source: Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 February 2009.
- Headline: Flooding havoc across city.
- www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz, 11 February 2009.
- Headline: Flooding fears evaoprate.
- www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz, 13 February 2009.
- MetService Email Lists
February 2009 North Island and Nelson Flooding
(
2009-02-10
)
Heavy rain brought minor flooding to various places in the North Island and in Tasman-Nelson.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
at
New Zealand
Duration: 3 days - From the 10th to the 12th of February.
MetService SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH issued at 06:22 pm Tuesday 10 February 2009 for: Hawkes Bay.
On the 12th, very moist air from the subtropicics was spreading over New Zealand, as a slow moving front intensified.
North Island
Heavy Rain
at
North Island
The Tararua Range received more than 100 mm (10 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Landslide
Slips on the Napier-Taupo road caused delays on the night of the 12th.
Auckland
Heavy Rain
at
Omaha
There was a sudden deluge at Omaha on the afternoon of the 10th.
Omaha received 75 mm (7.5 cm) of rain in 1 hour, most of it within the first half hour.
A resident of Day Dawn Crescent, who had lived in the street since 1982, said she had never seen rain like it before.
Flooding
Several homes and garages in the northern, low-lying part of Omaha were flooded.
The soil was so dry the rain just ran off and the drains could not cope with the amount of water.
Omaha Drive was like a river and water streamed down driveways.
A resident in Esme Grove said the water on his lawn was a couple of inches deep.
Taranaki
Heavy Rain
at
Mount Taranaki
Mt Taranaki recorded 147 mm (14.7 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 6pm on the 12th - the highest rainfall for this event.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Patea
A man was thrown from a boat when it was hit side-on by a wave in heavy seas at Patea on the 11th. He was rescued, barely conscious, and treated for bruises and water ingestion after being battered by waves as he huddled under a cliff for an hour.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Heavy Rain
at
Manawatu-Wanganui
Wanganui and Palmerston North received a deluge on the afternoon of the 10th. The rain had eased by 5pm.
Landslide
at
Manawatu Gorge
A man was driving through the Manawatu Gorge to Ashhurst at 7.20am on the 12th when a boulder and a shower of smaller rocks smashed through the roof of his four-wheel-drive. The boulder was estimated to weigh about 150 kg. The car's interior was destroyed.
Heavy Rain
at
Palmerston North
Palmerston North recorded 51 mm (5.1 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 10th, most of it falling in a short time.
Palmerston North recorded 49 mm (4.9 cm) of rain in 5 hours on the 10th.
The downpour was described as the worst in 50 years.
Fitzherbert Park recorded 75 mm (7.5 cm) of rain on the 10th - believed to be more than what fell in 24 hours during the 100-year flood of 2004.
Between the 9th and the 13th there was 136 mm (13.6 cm) of rain.
Flooding
There was extensive surface flooding in Palmerston North, with water entering some buildings. Sandbagging was carried out in the vicinity of Heretaunga Street near the Little Kawau Stream and in Manuka Street. Water also flooded into parked cars.
Several roads were flooded when stormwater drains were overwhelmed, inculding Manuka and Heretaunga streets and Churchill Avenue. Flooding closed the intersection of Ferguson St and Fitzherbert Ave, and some cars that became trapped in the water had to be towed out. There was a lot of surface flooding stretching from Terrace End to Botanical Rd. Parts of Highbury Ave were flooded when a stream overflowed. Some roads remained closed on the night of the 10th.
At one point there was water up to 1 m deep in some streets.
The Palmerston North City Council received more than 1800 calls about flooding. The Palmerston North fire service attended 60 flood-related callouts, 22 of them by 6.30pm.
Multi Hazard
At New Plymouth Airport, at least four outgoing and three incoming flights were cancelled on the 10th. Two flights were diverted - a plane from Christchurch was forced to fly to Napier by low cloud and rain and a flight from Hamilton was turned back about 8pm.
Heavy Rain
at
Wanganui
Wanagnui recorded 64 mm (6.4 cm) of rain in between 10am and 5pm on the10th.
Wanagnui recorded 55 mm (5.5 cm) of rain in 6 hours on the 10th.
Wanganui received 32 mm (3.2 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Wanganui received 27.8 mm (2.8 cm) of rain in 5 hours from 12pm to 11pm on the 12th.
Flooding
Surface flooding ocurred in Wanganui. Sandbagging was carried out and some properties and businesses were inundated.
Roads were closed around Wanganui. A 500m section of Heads Rd was closed after the water flooded several industrial businesses. Significant flooding was also reported at Springvale and Westmere.
The water on Heads Road rose to knee height.
The flooding was compounded by the very dry ground.
The Wanganui fire service received about 20 calls about flooding.
Wellington
Multi Hazard
at
Wellington
Wet weather and mist contributed to several minor crashes in the Wellington region on the 12th.
Flooding
at
Kaiwharawhara
Surface flooding near 78 Hutt Rd in Kaiwharawhara on the afternoon of the 12th blocked the off-ramp from Aotea Quay to Hutt Rd for a short time
Heavy Rain
at
Kelburn
Kelburn recorded 38 mm (3.8 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 6pm on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt recorded 45 mm (4.5 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 6pm on the 12th.
Lower Hutt recorded 17 mm (1.7 cm) of rain in 1 hour between 5pm and 6pm on the 12th.
Multi Hazard
at
Ngauranga
There was a minor crash at the bottom of Ngauranga Gorge.
Flooding
at
Paekakariki
A slip occurred near Paekakariki just before 9am on the 12th, blocking part of the southbound and delaying traffic for almost an hour.
Multi Hazard
at
Plimmerton
Two cars collided on Grays Rd, State Highway One, in Plimmerton just before 7am. Both drivers were injured and taken to hospital, one man suffering moderate head injuries and the other receiving minor leg injuries.
Multi Hazard
at
Rimutaka Hill
High winds and surface flooding on the Rimutaka Hill Road on State Highway 2 made driving dangerous. Slips on the road on the night of the 12th also caused delays.
Multi Hazard
at
Silverstream
A car rolled just south of the Silverstream Bridge on SH2 and the woman driver was taken to hospital with moderate injuries.
Flooding
at
Strathmore Park
Minor surface flooding in Strathmore had to be pumped out by fire crews.
Flooding
at
Tawa
There was surface flooding across two northbound lanes near the Tawa off ramp on SH 1 late on the morning of the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Wellington International Airport
Wellington Airport recorded 38 mm (3.8 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 6pm on the 12th.
Tasman-Nelson
Heavy Rain
at
Tasman-Nelson
Rainfall was variable on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Appleby
The Appleby catchment received almost 30 mm (3.0 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Brooklyn
Brooklyn recorded 26.8 mm (2.7 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Heavy Rain
at
Collingwood
A farm near Collingwood received close to 70 mm (7.0 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Mahana
Mahana recorded 19 mm (1.9 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Nelson city
There was an exceptionally high tide in Nelson at about midday on the 11th. It was caused by a combination of lunar perigee with a full moon on the 9th, a low atmospheric pressure system crossing the country, and northerly weather pushing the tide in further.
Wakatu Square in the city centre was inundated.
The tide peaked at 4.5 m.
An exceptionally low tide of 0.3 m was reached by 6.03pm on the 11th.
Heavy Rain
Annesbrook recorded 20.3 mm (2.0 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Heavy Rain
at
Richmond
Richmond recorded 35.6 mm (3.6 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Heavy Rain
at
Stoke
Eastern Stoke recorded 29 mm (2.9 cm) of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on the 13th.
Heavy Rain
at
Wai-iti River
The upper Wai-iti Valley received about 28 mm (2.8 cm) of rain on the 12th.
References
- Headline: Wanganui and Palmerston north mop up after flooding.
- www.3news.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 11 February 2009, 8:08am.
- Headline: Surface flooding in Palmerston North.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 10 February 2009, 4:24pm.
- Headline: Heavy rain to sweep central NZ.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 12 February 2009, 11:36am.
- Headline: Two crashes delay Wellington motorists.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZ Herald, 12 February 2009, 8:28am.
- Headline: Warnings summer downpours predicted.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZ Herald and NZPA, 12 February 2009, 9:01am.
- Headline: Flooding hits central North Island.
- www.radionz.co.nz, 11 February 2009, 5:55am.
- Headline: Heavy rain clearing.
- www.radionz.co.nz, 13 February 2009, 9:19am.
- Headline: Severe weather warning for parts of country.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Stuff.co.nz and Dominion Post, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: Motorists warned to take care.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: It doesn't rain till it pours.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Dominion Post, 11 February 2009.
- Headline: Wet weather and mist causing crashes.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Dominion Post, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: What happened to summer?.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Dominion Post, 13 February 2009.
- Headline: Intense downpour floods city.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Manawatu Standard, 11 February 2009.
- Headline: Gorge rockslide crushes 4WD.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Manawatu Standard, 13 February 2009.
- Headline: You need a strong heart to watch this lot in action.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Manawatu Standard, 16 February 2009.
- Headline: Heaven and Earth collude to cause exceptionally high tide.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Nelson Mail, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: Rain brings welcome relief to farmers, but more needed.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Nelson Mail, 13 February 2009.
- Headline: Too quick for sand.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Rodney Times, 17 February 2009.
- Headline: Region enjoys big downpour.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Taranaki Daily News, 11 February 2009.
- Headline: Man near death when rescued in massive seas.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 2009.
- Headline: Fisherman's tale of survival.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Taranaki Daily News, 16 February 2009.
- Headline: Heavy rain causes problems on roads.
- tvnz.co.nz, Source: ONE News, 12 February 2009, 11:55pm.
- Headline: Driver lucky to miss gorge rockfall.
- www.times-age.co.nz, Source: Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 February 2009.
- Headline: Flooding havoc across city.
- www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz, 11 February 2009.
- Headline: Flooding fears evaoprate.
- www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz, 13 February 2009.
- MetService Email Lists