NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
November 1994 Lower North Island and Upper South Island Storm
(
1994-11-05
)
Heavy rain, flooding, high winds and thunderstorms occurred around the lower North Island and upper South Island. Property was damaged and lifelines affected. There were four casualties: a man was hit by a falling tree in Hawke's Bay, two men drowned in the Hawke's Bay ranges, and a man died in car accident caused by high winds in the Rangitikei.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
at
New Zealand
Duration: 5 days - From the 5th to the 9th of November.
Hawke's Bay
High Wind / Gust
at
Hawke's Bay
Gale force north-westerly winds caused damage in Hawke's Bay between the 6th and the 9th.
Roofs were torn off buildings and trees were blown over.
Power was cut as power lines and poles snapped in the wind.
Storm force winds battered the east coast on the 8th.
Roads were closed.
Strong warm westerlies caused damage to asparagus crops. They curled over and grew at a 45-degree angle, making them unsuitable for processing. Hawke's Bay asparagus growers lost up to one-tenth of their production. Crops south of Hastings were the worst affected.
Flooding
Two men were presumed drowned in a raging river in the ranges of west Hawke's Bay.
High Wind / Gust
at
Clive
A six-hectare sweetcorn crop at Clive had to be re-planted.
High Wind / Gust
at
Napier
Two flights were cancelled on the 8th.
Hawke's Bay Airport recorded winds of up to 103 km/hr on the 8th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Waipukurau
A man was killed near Waipukurau on the 8th when he was hit by a tree blown over in the gales.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Flooding
at
Manawatu-Wanganui
Rivers burst their banks, bringing floods.
Road and rail closures occurred.
Damage was done to property.
High Wind / Gust
at
Hunterville
A man died in car accident caused by gale force winds in Hunterville.
Flooding
at
Waitotara
Minor flooding occurred in Waiototara.
Flooding
at
Wanganui
Flooding occurred in Wanganui.
A Civil Defence Emergency was declared for Wanganui at 6:00pm on the 8th, in anticipation of the storm, and was terminated at 12:00pm on the 9th.
157 people were evacuated from 82 households.
Wellington
Multi Hazard
at
Wellington
Wairarapa and Wellington experienced rain, thunderstorms and high winds.
Some Wairarapa schools were closed.
There were road and rail closures.
Millions of dollars worth of damage was caused by intense rain and destructive winds in the Wellignton region.
Damage was done to property. Some houses were flooded, some lost roofs, and some were hit by slips.
Heavy Rain
Wellington received about 100 mm (10.0 cm) of rain in 12 hours.
Flooding
Rivers burst their banks, bringing floods.
Heavy rainfalls in the Tararua ranges caused widespread flooding, inundating farms.
A section of railway line was washed out.
The waters were mainly from overflowing culverts and small streams.
It was said to be the worst flood since the 1950s.
Lightning
Fierce electrical storms were experienced.
Flooding
at
Featherston
Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough were isolated by floods.
Many residents were evacuated from Featherston and Greytown on the 8th as surface waters rose.
Multi Hazard
at
Gladstone
Power outages were experienced in Gladstone.
Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough were isolated by floods.
Multi Hazard
at
Greytown
Many residents were evacuated from Featherston and Greytown on the 8th as surface waters rose.
Power outages were experienced in Greytown.
Flooding
at
Kilbirnie
A health alert was prompted when a 96-year-old sewer pipe burst in Kilbirnie on the 8th, flooding a large area of homes, businesses and a primary school with diluted raw sewerage.
Multi Hazard
at
Mana
Electricity was cut to the Mana, Plimmerton, area for 40 minutes.
Flooding
at
Martinborough
Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough were isolated by floods.
The Ruamahanga River at Jenkins Dip, near Martinborough, peaked at 5.15 m above normal.
The Ruamahanga River had a flow estimated at 1800 cumecs (the flood control scheme was designed to handle 1500 cumecs).
Flooding
at
Masterton
Sewage was discharging into Henley Lake.
Multi Hazard
at
Rimutaka Hill
The Rimutaka Hill Road on State Highway 2 was closed due to slips and high winds.
Heavy Rain
at
Tararua Range
The Tararuas recorded 450 mm (45.0 cm) of rain in 30 hours.
The Tararua Ranges received about 50 cm of rain in 48 hours.
Flooding
at
Waiohine River
The Waiohine River reached a level of 15.15 m on the 8th - the highest level yet recorded.
Heavy Rain
at
Woodside
Woodside recorded 205 mm (20.5 cm) of rain in 24 hours.
Marlborough
Flooding
at
Marlborough
Marlborough rivers burst their banks, bringing floods.
Multi Hazard
Road and rail closures occurred.
Damage was done to property.
West Coast
Heavy Rain
at
Inangahua Landing
The Inangahua River at the Landing recorded a maximum 48-hour fall of 217 mm (21.7 cm) on the 6th.
The Inangahua River at the Landing recorded a maximum 72-hour fall of 265 mm (26.5 cm) on the 5th.
References
- Civil Defence Declarations Since 1 January 1963, Declared Civil Defence Emergencies, 31 December 1999.
- Headline: Council may face huge flood bill.
- The Evening Post, November 9 1994.
- Headline: Regions clean up after disaster narrowly averted.
- The Evening Post, November 9 1994.
- Headline: 150 return home after storm ends.
- The Hawkes Bay Herald-Tribune, 9 November 1994.
- Headline: Winds snaps poles, closes roads.
- The Hawkes Bay Herald-Tribune, 8 November 1994.
- Headline: Winds ruin 10pc of asparagus.
- The Hawkes Bay Herald-Tribune, 9 November 1994.
- Meteorological Society of New Zealand (Inc.). Newsletter 59, December 1994.
- Saunders, W. (2000). Planning and Resources, Hazard and Emergency Management Section, Wairarapa Division. Wairarapa Storm Events 1880-1998, Technical Report No. 00/17.
- Southland Regional Council (CD).
November 1994 Lower North Island and Upper South Island Storm
(
1994-11-05
)
Heavy rain, flooding, high winds and thunderstorms occurred around the lower North Island and upper South Island. Property was damaged and lifelines affected. There were four casualties: a man was hit by a falling tree in Hawke's Bay, two men drowned in the Hawke's Bay ranges, and a man died in car accident caused by high winds in the Rangitikei.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
at
New Zealand
Duration: 5 days - From the 5th to the 9th of November.
Hawke's Bay
High Wind / Gust
at
Hawke's Bay
Gale force north-westerly winds caused damage in Hawke's Bay between the 6th and the 9th.
Roofs were torn off buildings and trees were blown over.
Power was cut as power lines and poles snapped in the wind.
Storm force winds battered the east coast on the 8th.
Roads were closed.
Strong warm westerlies caused damage to asparagus crops. They curled over and grew at a 45-degree angle, making them unsuitable for processing. Hawke's Bay asparagus growers lost up to one-tenth of their production. Crops south of Hastings were the worst affected.
Flooding
Two men were presumed drowned in a raging river in the ranges of west Hawke's Bay.
High Wind / Gust
at
Clive
A six-hectare sweetcorn crop at Clive had to be re-planted.
High Wind / Gust
at
Napier
Two flights were cancelled on the 8th.
Hawke's Bay Airport recorded winds of up to 103 km/hr on the 8th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Waipukurau
A man was killed near Waipukurau on the 8th when he was hit by a tree blown over in the gales.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Flooding
at
Manawatu-Wanganui
Rivers burst their banks, bringing floods.
Road and rail closures occurred.
Damage was done to property.
High Wind / Gust
at
Hunterville
A man died in car accident caused by gale force winds in Hunterville.
Flooding
at
Waitotara
Minor flooding occurred in Waiototara.
Flooding
at
Wanganui
Flooding occurred in Wanganui.
A Civil Defence Emergency was declared for Wanganui at 6:00pm on the 8th, in anticipation of the storm, and was terminated at 12:00pm on the 9th.
157 people were evacuated from 82 households.
Wellington
Multi Hazard
at
Wellington
Wairarapa and Wellington experienced rain, thunderstorms and high winds.
Some Wairarapa schools were closed.
There were road and rail closures.
Millions of dollars worth of damage was caused by intense rain and destructive winds in the Wellignton region.
Damage was done to property. Some houses were flooded, some lost roofs, and some were hit by slips.
Heavy Rain
Wellington received about 100 mm (10.0 cm) of rain in 12 hours.
Flooding
Rivers burst their banks, bringing floods.
Heavy rainfalls in the Tararua ranges caused widespread flooding, inundating farms.
A section of railway line was washed out.
The waters were mainly from overflowing culverts and small streams.
It was said to be the worst flood since the 1950s.
Lightning
Fierce electrical storms were experienced.
Flooding
at
Featherston
Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough were isolated by floods.
Many residents were evacuated from Featherston and Greytown on the 8th as surface waters rose.
Multi Hazard
at
Gladstone
Power outages were experienced in Gladstone.
Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough were isolated by floods.
Multi Hazard
at
Greytown
Many residents were evacuated from Featherston and Greytown on the 8th as surface waters rose.
Power outages were experienced in Greytown.
Flooding
at
Kilbirnie
A health alert was prompted when a 96-year-old sewer pipe burst in Kilbirnie on the 8th, flooding a large area of homes, businesses and a primary school with diluted raw sewerage.
Multi Hazard
at
Mana
Electricity was cut to the Mana, Plimmerton, area for 40 minutes.
Flooding
at
Martinborough
Featherston, Greytown and Martinborough were isolated by floods.
The Ruamahanga River at Jenkins Dip, near Martinborough, peaked at 5.15 m above normal.
The Ruamahanga River had a flow estimated at 1800 cumecs (the flood control scheme was designed to handle 1500 cumecs).
Flooding
at
Masterton
Sewage was discharging into Henley Lake.
Multi Hazard
at
Rimutaka Hill
The Rimutaka Hill Road on State Highway 2 was closed due to slips and high winds.
Heavy Rain
at
Tararua Range
The Tararuas recorded 450 mm (45.0 cm) of rain in 30 hours.
The Tararua Ranges received about 50 cm of rain in 48 hours.
Flooding
at
Waiohine River
The Waiohine River reached a level of 15.15 m on the 8th - the highest level yet recorded.
Heavy Rain
at
Woodside
Woodside recorded 205 mm (20.5 cm) of rain in 24 hours.
Marlborough
Flooding
at
Marlborough
Marlborough rivers burst their banks, bringing floods.
Multi Hazard
Road and rail closures occurred.
Damage was done to property.
West Coast
Heavy Rain
at
Inangahua Landing
The Inangahua River at the Landing recorded a maximum 48-hour fall of 217 mm (21.7 cm) on the 6th.
The Inangahua River at the Landing recorded a maximum 72-hour fall of 265 mm (26.5 cm) on the 5th.
References
- Civil Defence Declarations Since 1 January 1963, Declared Civil Defence Emergencies, 31 December 1999.
- Headline: Council may face huge flood bill.
- The Evening Post, November 9 1994.
- Headline: Regions clean up after disaster narrowly averted.
- The Evening Post, November 9 1994.
- Headline: 150 return home after storm ends.
- The Hawkes Bay Herald-Tribune, 9 November 1994.
- Headline: Winds snaps poles, closes roads.
- The Hawkes Bay Herald-Tribune, 8 November 1994.
- Headline: Winds ruin 10pc of asparagus.
- The Hawkes Bay Herald-Tribune, 9 November 1994.
- Meteorological Society of New Zealand (Inc.). Newsletter 59, December 1994.
- Saunders, W. (2000). Planning and Resources, Hazard and Emergency Management Section, Wairarapa Division. Wairarapa Storm Events 1880-1998, Technical Report No. 00/17.
- Southland Regional Council (CD).