NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
October 2007 Lower North Island and South Island Storm
(
2007-10-07
)
Lower North Island and the South Island were hit with high winds and heavy rain causing flooding.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
at
New Zealand
Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit central areas of New Zealand, along with northwesterly gales, from the 7th to the 9th of October.
Flooding
Many rivers were at high flood levels.
North Island
Multi Hazard
at
North Island
The frontal system became slow moving over the North Island through to the 8th.
On the 9th, a low formed in northern Tasman Sea, pushing moist air back down onto North Island in a northerly flow. The low then moved to west of central New Zealand, where it remained until the 12th and then it moved away to the south-east.
Hawke's Bay
Hail
at
Takapau Plains
Hail was reported on the Takapau Plains on the 11th.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Heavy Rain
at
Manawatu-Wanganui
Horowhenua and Manawatu had torrential rain on the 7th.
Wellington
High Wind / Gust
at
Wellington
Gales caused some damage about Wellington and Wairarapa during the day on the 7th.
Gusts of up to 150 km/hr whipped Beacon Hill and the top of the Rimutakas on the 7th.
Police advised extreme caution to motorists.
The Fire Service attended more than 12 jobs involving trees blown onto roads in the Wairarapa.
Heavy Rain
at
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt recorded 150 mm (15.0 cm) of rain in six hours to 11am on the 8th.
The rainfall at Lower Hutt peaked at 33 mm (3.30 cm) of rain an hour.
Flooding
Parts of Block Road, between State Highway 2 and Pharazyn Street, were closed.
Hutt River was in flood.
There was surface flooding in the Hutt Valley on the 7th.
A man's kayak got stuck under logs on the flooded Hutt River before he was thrown out on the 11th. He scrambled ashore and was rescued on the morning of the 12th.
Police scrambled to get people to move their cars from carparks and roads when Hutt River flooded on the 8th.
Heavy Rain
at
Tararua Range
Heavy rain on the 7th about the Tararuas pushed rivers to flood levels.
Flooding
at
Upper Hutt
On State Highway 2 between Upper Hutt and Petone, water on the road reached up to 30 cm deep.
Lightning
at
Wellington City
A fierce thunder and lightning storm lashed Wellington at 7pm on the 7th. There was no damage reported.
South Island
Multi Hazard
at
South Island
Duration: 5 days - From the 7th to the 11th of October.
A frontal system approached the South Island from the west in early hours of the 7th, rapidly increasing the northwesterly flow preceding it.
Cloud cover and an onshore flow supressed maximum temperatures in the northeast of the South Island.
Heavy Rain
There was heavy rain about and on the west of the mountains in northern South Island the rivers were pushed to flood levels.
MetService issued a Heavy Rain Warning to Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury on the 10th.
Flooding
Motorists were warned to be wary of flooding in alpine areas on the 8th.
Landslide
Rock falls were reported on some roads.
Marlborough
High Wind / Gust
at
Marlborough
Gales caused some damage about Marlborough on the day of the 7th.
Landslide
Persistent rain caused widespread slips across north Marlborough.
There were numerous slips on roads in Marlborough sounds, including the Mahakipawa Hill on the Queen Charlotte, Port Underwood Road and Croisilles-French Pass Road. All roads were open but restricted to one lane in some areas.
A "drop-out" on Northbank Road, where part of the road had subsided, took a significant amount of work to fix.
Heavy Rain
at
Awatere River
Awatere recorded 7.5 mm (0.75 cm) of rain in eight hours to 8am on the 11th.
Awatere River received 39 mm (3.90 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 10th.
Multi Hazard
at
Blenheim
In Blenheim the maximum temperature was 11 degrees Celcius on the 10th.
Heavy Rain
Blenheim recorded 43 mm (4.3 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 10th.
Heavy Rain
at
Grovetown
Grovetown recorded 8.5 mm (0.85 cm) of rain in eight hours to 8am on the 11th.
Heavy Rain
at
Onamalutu
Onamalutu recorded 12.5 mm (1.25 cm) of rain in eight hours to 8am on the 11th.
Heavy Rain
at
Spring Creek
The downpour at Spring Creek eased overnight on the 10th.
Multi Hazard
On the morning of the 11th, at Spring Creek, Gouland Road was entirely blocked by a fallen tree at the intersection with Frederick Street.
Heavy Rain
at
Tunakino River
Tunakino recorded 106 mm (10.6 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Waihopai River
Waihopai recorded 36.5 mm (3.65 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 10th.
Waihopai recorded 5.5 mm (0.55 cm) of rain in eight hours to 8am on the 11th.
Flooding
Approaches to several bridges on the Waihopai Valley Road were washed out on the 6th and 7th, trapping a motorist.
Fog
at
Woodbourne
Low cloud stopped a flight from landing at Blenheim Airport before 9am on the 10th. Cloud was starting to lift just before 10am.
West Coast
Flooding
at
West Coast
River levels on the 7th, were swollen by days of heavy rain.
Flooding
at
Buller River
Police received reports that the Buller River was rising rapidly.
High Wind / Gust
at
Westport
Fire Service were called out for lifted roofs in Westport.
Canterbury
High Wind / Gust
at
Canterbury
Gales caused some damage in Canterbury overnight of the 7th and in the early morning.
Storm-force north-westerly winds gusted up to 148 km/hr.
Winds caused chaos across Canterbury before dawn on the 7th, cutting power to thousands of homes, lifting roofs and toppled irrigators. Winds eased off in most parts of Canterbury through the day, although Kaikoura took a pounding on 7th afternoon.
Fire Service were called out for lifted roofs in Lincoln and Oxford.
Orion New Zealand received arounf 50 call-outs to power cuts across the region. Most were caused by trees being blown across power lines. Most of the outages lasted approximately 2 hours and the main areas affected were Darfield, Annat and Brookside, with 2000 customers losing power. The first calls were received 3:46am.
High Wind / Gust
at
Banks Peninsula
Banks Peninsula appeared to be hardest hit by the windstorm, which came after several days of blustery conditions.
A Le Bons Bay man lost quarter of his roof and an entire shed that was under construction in winds at 8:00am on the 7th.
One man's description of wind was that "It was an unusual wind, like mini tornadoes. Instead of blowing past, it was more like it was blowing up - a sucking wind". They were the worst winds he' experienced in the seven years he'd lived in the area.
Le Bons Bay bore the worst fo the winds between 7:00am and 8:00am, with a mean speed of 104 km/hr.
The peak gusts at Le Bons Bay was 148 km/hr.
High Wind / Gust
at
Burke's Pass
Winds sent a campervan off the road near Burke Pass.
High Wind / Gust
at
Christchurch
In Christchurch, the strongest gusts of 94 km/hr were recorded between 5:00am and 6:00am on the 7th.
Multi Hazard
at
Kaikoura
In Kaikoura, the maximum temperature was 11 degrees Celcius on the 10th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Mackenzie Country
Strong winds rocked the Mackenzie Country on the 7th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Mount Cook
Wind gusts of up to 160 km/hr were recorded around Mt Cook on the 7th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Rolleston
One power cut near Rolleston was caused by a shed being blown through power lines.
Heavy Rain
at
Southern Alps
About one metre (100 cm) of rain had fallen on Southern Alps over the last week.
Flooding
at
Waiau
There was a flood in the Waiau River and it overflowed on the 8th after days of rainfall.
The Waiau township had to be temporarily evacuated.
Otago
Snow / Ice
at
Crown Range
Heavy snow blanketed the Crown Range on the 7th.
Landslide
at
Queenstown Lakes District
Rain caused slips near Glenorchy and on the Devil's Staircase road.
A rockfall blocked one lane of the main road between Queenstown and Glenorchy for two hours on the morning of the 7th.
Southland
Multi Hazard
at
Fiordland
State Highway 94 was closed between Te Anau and Milford early on the 8th due to an avalanche hazard.
References
- Meteorological Society of New Zealand (Inc.), Newsletter 111, December 2007.
- Headline: Missing kayaker found after night out.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 12 October 2007.
- Headline: Flood warning for upper North Island, landslips likely.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 9 October 2007.
- Headline: Police warn motorists as floodwaters close roads.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 8 October 2007.
- Headline: Huge nor'westerly gusts cause havoc.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: The Press, 8 October 2007.
- Headline: Wild nor-westers 'just a taste of things to come'.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Dominion Post, 8 October 2007.
- Headline: Bad weather stops planes and causes slips.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: The Press, 11 October 2007.
October 2007 Lower North Island and South Island Storm
(
2007-10-07
)
Lower North Island and the South Island were hit with high winds and heavy rain causing flooding.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
at
New Zealand
Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit central areas of New Zealand, along with northwesterly gales, from the 7th to the 9th of October.
Flooding
Many rivers were at high flood levels.
North Island
Multi Hazard
at
North Island
The frontal system became slow moving over the North Island through to the 8th.
On the 9th, a low formed in northern Tasman Sea, pushing moist air back down onto North Island in a northerly flow. The low then moved to west of central New Zealand, where it remained until the 12th and then it moved away to the south-east.
Hawke's Bay
Hail
at
Takapau Plains
Hail was reported on the Takapau Plains on the 11th.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Heavy Rain
at
Manawatu-Wanganui
Horowhenua and Manawatu had torrential rain on the 7th.
Wellington
High Wind / Gust
at
Wellington
Gales caused some damage about Wellington and Wairarapa during the day on the 7th.
Gusts of up to 150 km/hr whipped Beacon Hill and the top of the Rimutakas on the 7th.
Police advised extreme caution to motorists.
The Fire Service attended more than 12 jobs involving trees blown onto roads in the Wairarapa.
Heavy Rain
at
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt recorded 150 mm (15.0 cm) of rain in six hours to 11am on the 8th.
The rainfall at Lower Hutt peaked at 33 mm (3.30 cm) of rain an hour.
Flooding
Parts of Block Road, between State Highway 2 and Pharazyn Street, were closed.
Hutt River was in flood.
There was surface flooding in the Hutt Valley on the 7th.
A man's kayak got stuck under logs on the flooded Hutt River before he was thrown out on the 11th. He scrambled ashore and was rescued on the morning of the 12th.
Police scrambled to get people to move their cars from carparks and roads when Hutt River flooded on the 8th.
Heavy Rain
at
Tararua Range
Heavy rain on the 7th about the Tararuas pushed rivers to flood levels.
Flooding
at
Upper Hutt
On State Highway 2 between Upper Hutt and Petone, water on the road reached up to 30 cm deep.
Lightning
at
Wellington City
A fierce thunder and lightning storm lashed Wellington at 7pm on the 7th. There was no damage reported.
South Island
Multi Hazard
at
South Island
Duration: 5 days - From the 7th to the 11th of October.
A frontal system approached the South Island from the west in early hours of the 7th, rapidly increasing the northwesterly flow preceding it.
Cloud cover and an onshore flow supressed maximum temperatures in the northeast of the South Island.
Heavy Rain
There was heavy rain about and on the west of the mountains in northern South Island the rivers were pushed to flood levels.
MetService issued a Heavy Rain Warning to Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury on the 10th.
Flooding
Motorists were warned to be wary of flooding in alpine areas on the 8th.
Landslide
Rock falls were reported on some roads.
Marlborough
High Wind / Gust
at
Marlborough
Gales caused some damage about Marlborough on the day of the 7th.
Landslide
Persistent rain caused widespread slips across north Marlborough.
There were numerous slips on roads in Marlborough sounds, including the Mahakipawa Hill on the Queen Charlotte, Port Underwood Road and Croisilles-French Pass Road. All roads were open but restricted to one lane in some areas.
A "drop-out" on Northbank Road, where part of the road had subsided, took a significant amount of work to fix.
Heavy Rain
at
Awatere River
Awatere recorded 7.5 mm (0.75 cm) of rain in eight hours to 8am on the 11th.
Awatere River received 39 mm (3.90 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 10th.
Multi Hazard
at
Blenheim
In Blenheim the maximum temperature was 11 degrees Celcius on the 10th.
Heavy Rain
Blenheim recorded 43 mm (4.3 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 10th.
Heavy Rain
at
Grovetown
Grovetown recorded 8.5 mm (0.85 cm) of rain in eight hours to 8am on the 11th.
Heavy Rain
at
Onamalutu
Onamalutu recorded 12.5 mm (1.25 cm) of rain in eight hours to 8am on the 11th.
Heavy Rain
at
Spring Creek
The downpour at Spring Creek eased overnight on the 10th.
Multi Hazard
On the morning of the 11th, at Spring Creek, Gouland Road was entirely blocked by a fallen tree at the intersection with Frederick Street.
Heavy Rain
at
Tunakino River
Tunakino recorded 106 mm (10.6 cm) of rain on the 12th.
Heavy Rain
at
Waihopai River
Waihopai recorded 36.5 mm (3.65 cm) of rain in 24 hours on the 10th.
Waihopai recorded 5.5 mm (0.55 cm) of rain in eight hours to 8am on the 11th.
Flooding
Approaches to several bridges on the Waihopai Valley Road were washed out on the 6th and 7th, trapping a motorist.
Fog
at
Woodbourne
Low cloud stopped a flight from landing at Blenheim Airport before 9am on the 10th. Cloud was starting to lift just before 10am.
West Coast
Flooding
at
West Coast
River levels on the 7th, were swollen by days of heavy rain.
Flooding
at
Buller River
Police received reports that the Buller River was rising rapidly.
High Wind / Gust
at
Westport
Fire Service were called out for lifted roofs in Westport.
Canterbury
High Wind / Gust
at
Canterbury
Gales caused some damage in Canterbury overnight of the 7th and in the early morning.
Storm-force north-westerly winds gusted up to 148 km/hr.
Winds caused chaos across Canterbury before dawn on the 7th, cutting power to thousands of homes, lifting roofs and toppled irrigators. Winds eased off in most parts of Canterbury through the day, although Kaikoura took a pounding on 7th afternoon.
Fire Service were called out for lifted roofs in Lincoln and Oxford.
Orion New Zealand received arounf 50 call-outs to power cuts across the region. Most were caused by trees being blown across power lines. Most of the outages lasted approximately 2 hours and the main areas affected were Darfield, Annat and Brookside, with 2000 customers losing power. The first calls were received 3:46am.
High Wind / Gust
at
Banks Peninsula
Banks Peninsula appeared to be hardest hit by the windstorm, which came after several days of blustery conditions.
A Le Bons Bay man lost quarter of his roof and an entire shed that was under construction in winds at 8:00am on the 7th.
One man's description of wind was that "It was an unusual wind, like mini tornadoes. Instead of blowing past, it was more like it was blowing up - a sucking wind". They were the worst winds he' experienced in the seven years he'd lived in the area.
Le Bons Bay bore the worst fo the winds between 7:00am and 8:00am, with a mean speed of 104 km/hr.
The peak gusts at Le Bons Bay was 148 km/hr.
High Wind / Gust
at
Burke's Pass
Winds sent a campervan off the road near Burke Pass.
High Wind / Gust
at
Christchurch
In Christchurch, the strongest gusts of 94 km/hr were recorded between 5:00am and 6:00am on the 7th.
Multi Hazard
at
Kaikoura
In Kaikoura, the maximum temperature was 11 degrees Celcius on the 10th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Mackenzie Country
Strong winds rocked the Mackenzie Country on the 7th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Mount Cook
Wind gusts of up to 160 km/hr were recorded around Mt Cook on the 7th.
High Wind / Gust
at
Rolleston
One power cut near Rolleston was caused by a shed being blown through power lines.
Heavy Rain
at
Southern Alps
About one metre (100 cm) of rain had fallen on Southern Alps over the last week.
Flooding
at
Waiau
There was a flood in the Waiau River and it overflowed on the 8th after days of rainfall.
The Waiau township had to be temporarily evacuated.
Otago
Snow / Ice
at
Crown Range
Heavy snow blanketed the Crown Range on the 7th.
Landslide
at
Queenstown Lakes District
Rain caused slips near Glenorchy and on the Devil's Staircase road.
A rockfall blocked one lane of the main road between Queenstown and Glenorchy for two hours on the morning of the 7th.
Southland
Multi Hazard
at
Fiordland
State Highway 94 was closed between Te Anau and Milford early on the 8th due to an avalanche hazard.
References
- Meteorological Society of New Zealand (Inc.), Newsletter 111, December 2007.
- Headline: Missing kayaker found after night out.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 12 October 2007.
- Headline: Flood warning for upper North Island, landslips likely.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, 9 October 2007.
- Headline: Police warn motorists as floodwaters close roads.
- www.nzherald.co.nz, Source: NZPA, 8 October 2007.
- Headline: Huge nor'westerly gusts cause havoc.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: The Press, 8 October 2007.
- Headline: Wild nor-westers 'just a taste of things to come'.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: Dominion Post, 8 October 2007.
- Headline: Bad weather stops planes and causes slips.
- www.stuff.co.nz, Source: The Press, 11 October 2007.