NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
January 2009 Upper North Island Thunderstorm
(
2009-01-14
)
Thunderstorms over Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty produced lightning, hail, heavy rain and a waterspout.
North Island
Multi Hazard
Duration: 1 day - By 1am the violent storm had moved offshore.
The extreme weather was caused by high humidity and unstable air pressure over the upper North Island. The electrical storm was the result of sea breezes converging over the Coromandel Peninsula.
On the afternoon and evening of the 14th a line of severe thunderstorms stretched from west of Taupo north to Great Barrier Island.
Lightning
More than 800 flashes of lightning were recorded between 6.45pm and 7.45pm, mostly between the Kaimai Ranges and Bay of Plenty. At the peak of the storm, the lightning strike rate was 1200 strikes an hour - a scale not usually seen outside Tornado Alley in the central USA.
Auckland
Lightning
at
Auckland
The Rodney district had a stunning lightning storm on the night of the 14th.
Lightning peppered the sky over the Waitemata Harbour with more than 6000 flashes.
Auckland had about one flash of lightning every five seconds. More than 6500 flashes had been recorded by the end of the night.
Lightning
at
Hauraki Gulf
An awe-inspiring electrical storm in the Hauraki Gulf lasted for more than an hour.
Tornado
at
Smokehouse Bay
A 9.4 m launch moored in Smokehouse Bay at Great Barrier Island was struck by a waterspout at around 11:00pm on the 14th. It was picked up and thrown it down on its side, but did not suffer serious damage.
The two people aboard the launch were left with cuts and bruises.
There was no wind prior to the waterspout, but at 10.50pm a "screaming wall of wind" came over the hill.
Bay of Plenty
Multi Hazard
at
Bay of Plenty
Thunder, lightning and hail were experienced across Western Bay of Plenty and the Kaimai Range on the night of the 14th.
Lightning
at
Athenree
A fire started at an orchard on Tuapiro Rd in Athenree around 7pm. It had spread 20m before firefighters arrived.
Hail
at
Kaimai Range
Drivers on SH29 over the Kaimai Range battled poor visibility and heavy hail. Four officers had to direct traffic and slow vehicles and a contractor was brought in to sweep the hail off the road.
The hail was up to 40 mm (4 cm) deep on the road.
Hail stones the size of golf balls were reported.
The hail storm lasted for 30 minutes, having subsided by 7pm.
Heavy Rain
In the Kaimai Range, 27 mm (2.7 cm) of rain fell.
Multi Hazard
A truck driver who had been driving round the North Island for six years had never seen conditions like he encountered on the Kaimai Range.
Flooding
at
Katikati
In Katikati buildings and streets were flooded almost instantly when pipes and drains became blocked. At the BP lights had to be switched off after water began pouring through fittings into the store.
In the worst hit parts of town water was up to the bottom of car doors, which slowed traffic.
Heavy Rain
Duration: - The deluge lasted for about an hour.
Lightning
at
Kauri Point
A row of shelterbelt trees was set alight, presumably by a lightning strike, on Kauri Point Rd just after 7pm.
Hail
at
Lower Kaimai
A home on Valley View Rd had ice melting into it through the roof.
Heavy Rain
at
Pyes Pa
An orchardist recorded 17 mm (1.7 cm) of rain at his Pyes Pa orchard between 6pm and 10.20pm.
Lightning
at
Tauranga
Thunder and lightning activated alarms in Tauranga.
Hail
at
Te Puke
There were reports of some hail damage at Te Puke.
Heavy Rain
The downpour on the night of the 14th doubled the rainfall in Te Puke for the year to date.
A resident recorded 20 mm (2 cm) of rain in 90 minutes from 6.30pm.
References
- Headline: Couple survive freak water spout encounter.
- www.3news.co.nz, Source: RadioLive, 15 January 2009, 8:28am.
- Headline: Weather bomb hits the Bay.
- www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz, 15 January 2009.
- Meteorological Society of New Zealand (Inc.). (2008). Climate summary for summer 2008-2009. Newsletter 116, March 2008. 6-14
- Headline: 31 foot launch hoisted by water spout.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 12:12am.
- Headline: Waterspout causes chaos for boaties.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 8:32am.
- Headline: Golf ball-sized hail stones in Kaimais.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 9:52am.
- Headline: Safety warning after golfball-sized hailstones and lightning.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 4:00am.
- Headline: Waterspout picks up launch, throws on side.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 8:29am.
- Headline: Lights, camera ... and action.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 16 January 2009, 4:00am.
- Headline: Waterspout launches boat into air.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Soucre: Dominion Post, 16 January 2009.
- Headline: Lightning is opening act.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Soucre: Rodney Times, 20 January 2009.
January 2009 Upper North Island Thunderstorm
(
2009-01-14
)
Thunderstorms over Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty produced lightning, hail, heavy rain and a waterspout.
North Island
Multi Hazard
Duration: 1 day - By 1am the violent storm had moved offshore.
The extreme weather was caused by high humidity and unstable air pressure over the upper North Island. The electrical storm was the result of sea breezes converging over the Coromandel Peninsula.
On the afternoon and evening of the 14th a line of severe thunderstorms stretched from west of Taupo north to Great Barrier Island.
Lightning
More than 800 flashes of lightning were recorded between 6.45pm and 7.45pm, mostly between the Kaimai Ranges and Bay of Plenty. At the peak of the storm, the lightning strike rate was 1200 strikes an hour - a scale not usually seen outside Tornado Alley in the central USA.
Auckland
Lightning
at
Auckland
The Rodney district had a stunning lightning storm on the night of the 14th.
Lightning peppered the sky over the Waitemata Harbour with more than 6000 flashes.
Auckland had about one flash of lightning every five seconds. More than 6500 flashes had been recorded by the end of the night.
Lightning
at
Hauraki Gulf
An awe-inspiring electrical storm in the Hauraki Gulf lasted for more than an hour.
Tornado
at
Smokehouse Bay
A 9.4 m launch moored in Smokehouse Bay at Great Barrier Island was struck by a waterspout at around 11:00pm on the 14th. It was picked up and thrown it down on its side, but did not suffer serious damage.
The two people aboard the launch were left with cuts and bruises.
There was no wind prior to the waterspout, but at 10.50pm a "screaming wall of wind" came over the hill.
Bay of Plenty
Multi Hazard
at
Bay of Plenty
Thunder, lightning and hail were experienced across Western Bay of Plenty and the Kaimai Range on the night of the 14th.
Lightning
at
Athenree
A fire started at an orchard on Tuapiro Rd in Athenree around 7pm. It had spread 20m before firefighters arrived.
Hail
at
Kaimai Range
Drivers on SH29 over the Kaimai Range battled poor visibility and heavy hail. Four officers had to direct traffic and slow vehicles and a contractor was brought in to sweep the hail off the road.
The hail was up to 40 mm (4 cm) deep on the road.
Hail stones the size of golf balls were reported.
The hail storm lasted for 30 minutes, having subsided by 7pm.
Heavy Rain
In the Kaimai Range, 27 mm (2.7 cm) of rain fell.
Multi Hazard
A truck driver who had been driving round the North Island for six years had never seen conditions like he encountered on the Kaimai Range.
Flooding
at
Katikati
In Katikati buildings and streets were flooded almost instantly when pipes and drains became blocked. At the BP lights had to be switched off after water began pouring through fittings into the store.
In the worst hit parts of town water was up to the bottom of car doors, which slowed traffic.
Heavy Rain
Duration: - The deluge lasted for about an hour.
Lightning
at
Kauri Point
A row of shelterbelt trees was set alight, presumably by a lightning strike, on Kauri Point Rd just after 7pm.
Hail
at
Lower Kaimai
A home on Valley View Rd had ice melting into it through the roof.
Heavy Rain
at
Pyes Pa
An orchardist recorded 17 mm (1.7 cm) of rain at his Pyes Pa orchard between 6pm and 10.20pm.
Lightning
at
Tauranga
Thunder and lightning activated alarms in Tauranga.
Hail
at
Te Puke
There were reports of some hail damage at Te Puke.
Heavy Rain
The downpour on the night of the 14th doubled the rainfall in Te Puke for the year to date.
A resident recorded 20 mm (2 cm) of rain in 90 minutes from 6.30pm.
References
- Headline: Couple survive freak water spout encounter.
- www.3news.co.nz, Source: RadioLive, 15 January 2009, 8:28am.
- Headline: Weather bomb hits the Bay.
- www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz, 15 January 2009.
- Meteorological Society of New Zealand (Inc.). (2008). Climate summary for summer 2008-2009. Newsletter 116, March 2008. 6-14
- Headline: 31 foot launch hoisted by water spout.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 12:12am.
- Headline: Waterspout causes chaos for boaties.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 8:32am.
- Headline: Golf ball-sized hail stones in Kaimais.
- www.newstalkzb.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 9:52am.
- Headline: Safety warning after golfball-sized hailstones and lightning.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 4:00am.
- Headline: Waterspout picks up launch, throws on side.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 15 January 2009, 8:29am.
- Headline: Lights, camera ... and action.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 16 January 2009, 4:00am.
- Headline: Waterspout launches boat into air.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Soucre: Dominion Post, 16 January 2009.
- Headline: Lightning is opening act.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Soucre: Rodney Times, 20 January 2009.