Meteorological Society of New Zealand (Inc.)

ISSN 0111-1736

Meteorological Society Of New Zealand (Inc.)

NEWSLETTER 110 SEPTEMBER 2007

Meteorological Society Of New Zealand (Inc.) NEWSLETTER 110 SEPTEMBER 2007 PO Box 6523, Marion Square, Wellington 6141, New Zealand Please forward contributions to Bob McDavitt, C/- PO Box 68429, Newton, Auckland or [email protected] CONTENTS Page President’s Comments 3 Branch reports 4-5 AGM 6-7-8-9-10 Photo competition 11 Coming conferences, leters 12-13-14 Winter (NIWA) 15-19 Notable recent weather 20-29 Christchurch weather (Ben) 57 Meteorology in the Press 30-56

Your Committee , until the AGM President Kim Dirks [email protected] Immediate Past President Richard Turner [email protected] Auckland VP Sally Garrett [email protected] Wellington VP Jim Renwick [email protected] Christchurch VP Michael Titov [email protected] Dunedin VP Helen Power [email protected] Secretary Simon Kjellberg [email protected] Treasurer Cliff Revell [email protected] Circulation Manager Rowena Moss [email protected] Journal Editor Brian Giles [email protected] Newsletter Editor Bob McDavitt [email protected] Wed Editor Peter Knudsen [email protected] Hydrological Society Liaison Charles Pearson [email protected] General Committee Stacey Dravitzki [email protected] Katrina Richards [email protected] Sam Dean [email protected] Views and endorsements expressed in this newsletter are those of the contributors and ad- vertisers, and not necessarily those of the Meteorological Society of New Zealand. The mention of specific companies or products does not imply that they are endorsed or recom- mended by the Society. Meteorological Society of New Zealand Newsletter - September 2007 - Page 3

President’s Report for September Newsletter

This time last year I wrote to say that this would be my last President’s Report before my arm was twisted to stand again…I suspect that this time it really will be my last report!

The 2007 Annual Conference will be held jointly with AMOS (the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society) and the Australasian Wind Engineering Society (AWES) in Geelong on January 29th to February 1st. Please check out the AMOS website for details. I hope you will be able to join us for this event.

The late annual conference requires us to hold our AGM at a separate function in 2007. Along with the AGM, we have decided to hold a combined MetSoc event in Wellington on November 28th where will we celebrate the International Polar Year by holding a half -day workshop with this theme, the AGM, followed by the awarding of our third Kidson Medal. The agenda for the AGM is included in this newsletter. The Meteorological Society is always looking for new faces to join the team so if you would like to become more involved in the running of the society, please consider putting yourself forward for a committee position. The election of officers is carried out during the AGM. We would love to hear from you!

This year we have seen the publishing of the 2007 Edition of Weather a Climate thanks to the efforts of Brian Giles, and Society newsletters, thanks to Bob. Please keep your submissions rolling in! Due to the success of our last photo competition, we have decided to run it again this year so please check out the web sites for details. The Summer School organised by the Hydrological Society will also be running again at the end of the year with Katrina Richards ‘holding the baton’ on behalf of our Society. This year has seen a significant increase in regional activity from the main branches, thanks to the efforts of the Vice- Presidents. Hopefully we will be able to keep the momentum going in 2008.

All the best for the rest of the year.

Kim Dirks

President

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Regional Reports:

Auckland Branch Report – Sally Garrett

On August the 7th, a small bunch of Aucklander’s (the few not suffering from the flu) enjoyed Howard Diamond speak on the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the climate component of the international Global Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS) effort.

The seminar provided information on GEOSS and GCOS, with a focus on climate observing in the Pacific. In addition there was a discussion of some climate data management efforts and research effort dealing with a climatological study of tropical cyclones in the Southwest Pacific basin

- Wellington (Jim Salinger)

Howard Diamond from NOAA gave a talk at NIWA Wellington on 3 August and this was advertised to Met Soc membership.

Howard spoke on Global Earth Observations for Climate: "Taking the Earth’s Pulse for the New Century.”

- Christchurch (Mikhail Titov)

There have been two 'open door' events of the HeatLab (UoC) open to Met Soc members. The first was early in September, and the second was on Friday (21st September

This laboratory develops 3-D and 4-D visualisation of terrestrial – meteorological (and all other) data and participants have been very keen to use WRF output data to do 3-D visualisation and animation. They have also developed teleconferences. Information about HeatLab can be found on the UoC website.

- Dunedin (Helen Power)

Met Soc members were invited to two seminars held in the Geography Dept at the University of Otago.

On August 7, Patricia Langhorne, from the Otago Physics Dept, gave a seminar on "Where land and sea ice meet". Dr Langhorne described the processes of sea ice formation, in

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particular the role that frazil ice plays. Frazil ice forms in the water column and Dr Langhorne's research aims to measure rates of frazil ice formation and whether it is responsible for the formation of ice on the underside of ice shelves.

Dr Martyn Clark, from NIWA Christchurch, gave a seminar on September 11 on "Snow research at NIWA". Dr Clark highlighted the need for better information on snow in NZ and explained that this requires a combination of monitoring, modelling, and process studies. He described a research project which aims to improve understanding of snow processes by studying controls on the spatial variability of snow accumulation. As part of this project, Dr Nicolas Cullen and eight postgraduate students from the Geography Department at Otago will join Dr Clark and other colleagues on a field trip this week to document spatial variability in snow accumulation using multiscale stratified sampling of snow water equivalent in a single test catchment, namely, the Jollie River Basin in the Mt Cook region.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Nothing new on Vol 28 – still only two papers have arrived. When ready it will be published at A4 size as agreed at the last committee meeting.

Call for Papers. Members are reminded that Weather and Climate is the Journal of the Meteorological Society of New Zealand and is a conduit for papers on the atmosphere, the weather and the climate, particularly in the New Zealand and South Pacific regions. All papers are peer reviewed. Information for contributors is included in the inside back cover of the journal or can be obtained from the editor,

Dr Brian Giles at [email protected]

YOUR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING INFORMATION PACKAGE

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1. Official Notice and Invitation 2. AGENDA (For Minutes of the last AGM see our December 2006 Newsletter )

3, Annual Accounts

1. Official Notice and invitation : AGM 2007

The 28th Annual General Meeting of the Meteorological Society of New Zealand is to be held at 4pm to 5:30pm, Wednesday the 28th of November, 2007 as part of the Met Soc Workshop day for IPY, the International Polar Year, at NIWA’s Main Conference Room of 301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, Wellington.

The AGM is to be followed by a presentation of the Kidson Medal and a social function running from 5:45-7:30pm. All members are invited to attend. Please send apologies or no- tices of motion to our secretary

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2. Agenda

28th Annual General Meeting of the

Meteorological Society of New Zealand (Inc.)

On Wednesday 28th November 2007

At NIWA main conference room , Greta Point, Kilbirnie, Wellington

Starting 4pm

1. Attendance and Apologies

2 Confirmation of Minutes of Previous Annual General Meeting

3. Matters Arising from the Minutes

- Future Conferences, attendance fees

-Carbon Neutral Society Conferences

4. Annual Report from the President

5. Annual Report from the Treasurer

6. Subscription Rate

7. Appointment of Auditor

8. Election of Officers

9. Other Matters

S. Kjellberg

Secretary

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METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NEW ZEALAND INC. NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JULY 2007 1. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES Accrual accounting is used to match expenses and revenue to the year as appropriate. There has been no change in accounting policies. 2. SUBSCRIPTIONS Includes some payments of arrears. Subscriptions in arrears for 2006/07 have not been taken into account. The amount owing is approximately $890. 3. INTEREST Interest on SCF and cheque acounts combined under Interest. 4.WEATHER AND CLIMATE Vols 26 and 27 of Weather and Climate published. The backlog of publications has now been cleared. 5.NEWSLETTER Five issues paid for this year. All up to date. 6. STUDENT GRANTS To be reimbursed from Student Conference Fund. 7. TERM INVESTMENTS Term deposit 03 matured 5/10/06. $1,000 was transferred to the current account. The balance including interest was reinvested as Term deposit 04. $8,000 from the conference profit and the cash float $2000, repaid, was invested as Term deposit 05. Deposit 02 matures 24/12/07, deposit 04 on 29/9/07 and deposit 05 on 7/9/07. Present instructions are that these be reinvested. 8.STUDENT CONFERENCE FUND $4000 on loan to current account to be returned to the SCF. Part profit from conference to be transferred to the SCF. 9. CONTINGENT LIABILITIES There are no contingent liabilities.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< < Note that Alaric Tomlinson (a retired meteorologist) has been our auditor for the past seven years and will finally be taking a rest from this next year. Our thanks go to Alaric for his help and guiding assistance. If any member is willing or knows someone who may be willing to help us out and accept an invitation to audit our accounts please let us know at [email protected] or [email protected]. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

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PHOTO COMPETITION Come on folks--- I haven’t received any entries yet, and yet we have had lots of weather. Please remember to put that digital camera in your bag ready for that rare cloud. Or even to send us your cellphone camera snaps. Bob McDavitt Email it to [email protected] or post to "Met Soc competition, unit 5, 53 Hamilton Road, Herne Bay Auckland".

Conditions Of Entry: SNAP WHAT YOU SEE. Entry is open to all individuals resident in NZ (but not the photo judging committee or their immediate family). Note date and place of the image. The deadline for entries is 30 June 2008. There is no entry fee. No more than ten entries accepted per entrant. In return for en- tering your image for consideration, Met Soci- ety reserves the right to put your image (adequately acknowledged) on the http:// metsoc.rsnz.org web site. This means that we ask that you do not transfer publication rights for your entry to any third party until after the competition is finished. All other rights remain with the contributor. Have fun and keep checking our web site to see the new entries as they arrive during the four seasons! Image Content: Photos/images are to be taken in NZ between now and June 2008. Image must be a true re- production of what the viewer could see in a single frame and not blended, modified or en- hanced in any way. Cropping is allowed. If any identifiable people appear in the photos their written permission to submit must be included. Nothing illegal. There are no categories and no theme, but if it isn't related to the weather it will not go far with our judges. Judging And Prizes No more than one prize per entrant. First prize is three years free subscription to Met. Society (value $75). Second prize is two years subscription (value $50) and third prize one year subscription (value $25). Images will be voted on by a panel of judges consisting of our photo subcommittee plus an independent expert with a professional eye. Winners are to be announced on the Met Society web site on 1 August 2008, the start of the financial/subscription year for the Society.

Email it to [email protected] or post to "Met Soc competition, unit 5, 53 Hamilton Road, Herne Bay Auckland".

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COMING EVENTS COMING EVENTS COMING EVENTS COMING EVENTS

Our 2007 Conference is being held jointly with AMOS at GEELONG, Victoria, Australia from Jan 29 to Feb 1, 2008. The theme is Atmos- pheric and Oceanic EXTREMES. For more information see http:// www.amos.org.au/conf2008/AMOSconf2008.htm Summer School The Hydrology Summer School will be held again this year from the 3rd to the 7th of December in Christchurch. Our committee member Katrina Richards plans to be one of the contributors and Met Society is willing to help subsidise Katrina’s expenses. If you know of any secondary school children in Christchurch who have expressed an interest in meteorology or hydrology please ask them to contact New Zealand Hydrological Society at PO Box 12300, Thorndon, Wellington 6144 or send an email to ad- [email protected]

Response of AMOS to the “The Great Global Warming Swindle Documentary” Christchurch Met Soc viewed the Great Global Warming Swindle (GGWS) movie back in March 2007 as a bit of a wag to start the year (well, it was put out by Wag TV) In our write-up in the March Newsletter we provided a link to its web site : http://www.channel4.com/science/ microsites/G/great_global_warming_swindle/index.html and we also provided a link to a sci- entifically based rebuttal blog at http://www.celsias.com/2007/03/11/the-great-global-warming- swindle/ ---this site used to have a link to a YouTube showing the whole 1 hr +movie, but this has been removed now.

Put "great global warming swindle" in the search option on YouTube and you'll get to the ABC TV debate on the topic (in 9 parts) triggered by the showing of the movie (-looks like some of those aussies didn't realise the GGWS was from Wag TV-editor).

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This ABC documentary produced plenty of debate earlier this year in Australia, and AMOS (our Australian equivalent) have produced a response documenting the shortcuts taken in the GGWC movie on their own web site at http://www.amos.org.au/ BAMOS_GGWS_SUBMISSION_final.htm Letter to the newsletter editor: Hi Bob, I read the latest news letter with great interest; this e-mail version is so much superior in so many ways. The item advising of the upgrading next year of the North Island weather radar coverage bought to mind the recent upgrade to the presentation of the Australian weather Ra- dar system on the Internet at http://mirror.bom.gov.au/weather/radar. Of interest is the fact that not only is this new presentation so good but it updates the images every few minutes making it a most useful service, what a great pity that ours is updated so infrequently as to make its use almost laughable several frontal systems can pass across our islands between published scans. In Auckland the local website scans are frequently missing for days at a time, with these breaks becoming more frequent of late. If you take a look at the Aust. Site for Adelaide you will see that city (about the same size of Auckland) has not one but two radars for the area one being a shorter range but higher defi- nition unit. It is a pity that our society does not seek to put pressure on the Government by frequently publishing the total lack of an efficient and frequent service in this area. Keep up the good work, Regards, Robert (Auckland)

(Since this letter was written MetService have increased the bandwidth of their public website to show hourly animations of a NZ radars for the past six hours, added a Severe Thunderstorm Watch Service and added information messages to explain radar outages- editor).

Dear Editor Although, I’m a scientist at NIWA with little direct involvement in climate change research, I do feel the recent insults directed at some of my NIWA colleagues by the “climate coalition” warrant a response. The insults, I’m referring to are quotes like “NIWA are the poster boys for climate change” and “Dr **** is stupid” that received much press coverage earlier this year. This letter is not intended to present a scientific rebuttal to their claims; that has been done more than adequately in other forums, but rather it is an attempt to examine the possible motives and belief systems behind the climate coalition and similar groups that would prompt such invective against respected, honest, and hard working scientists. The first group of sceptics I would classify as the “purists”, by this I mean people, who demand complete and incontrovertible scientific rigour to the level of mathematical proof before accepting that yes…… their dinner has indeed gone cold. If in 300 years sea levels have risen 6 m, the earth has warmed 4 degrees and consequent massive ecological changes have occurred – they (well their intellectual descendants anyway) would still be dithering and quib- bling over the uncertainty in model projections, measurements of the initial state, and trying to blame sunspots. Owen McShane, a climate coalition member would, I think, classify himself in this category as he prides himself on being a “straight thinker”. The truth is he is a self appointed expert with little actual knowledge of the climate system, I recall his postings to the bulletin board soc.culture.newzealand (an early version of todays chatrooms) in the

Meteorological Society of New Zealand Newsletter - September 2007 - Page 14 early 1990’s criticising the global temperature time-series records derived at the time. He blamed the observed rise in temperatures on the urban heat island effect, although that effect had been well known for years by climate scientists and which had been accounted for in their calculations. In my opinion, this purist mindset did immense damage to “no regrets” policy options proposed at that time to curb greenhouse gas emissions. An example of a no regrets option would be an initiative to increase the fuel efficiency of cars. The next group are “specialists”, I would classify Bill Gray (US Hurricane expert) and Augie Auer (RIP) (Thunderstorms) in this group. To some extent I have sympathy with these people, as they are respected professionals who know much about their specialist topics. I imagine they resent it very much when a “talking head who wouldn’t know an eye wall from a squall line” comments on matters such as the long term trends in Atlantic hurricane activity. Sometimes, non-experts do overextend the current science in naïve ways, and most scientists cringe when this occurs. But, I would say look at the big picture, look at all the evi- dence, ask yourself why is the extent of arctic sea ice declining?, why have 7 of the warmest years on record been since 1998?, why are most glaciers around the world retreating?, why are the summer grazing grounds getting higher in Switzerland? etc, etc.. The specialists have to realize that there are groups and industries, who have no regard for scientific integri- ty, but who would use the reasonable, but narrow, scientific concerns of the specialists to advance their own selfish interests. The specialists are being used. The next group I would label as “business class”, stock analysts, financial advisors, accountants, and executives. They only ever read the business section of the paper, but often feel compelled to offer negative opinion on climate science. They like to think of themselves as living in the real world, fighting for a crust, and scientists as woolly woofters living in insulated ivory towers. To them I say stick to your knitting, comment on business policy if you must, and read some actual science literature, the NBR is not the Monthly Weather Re- view. The next group I would classify as “religious conservative”. They view environmental- ism and global change as underpinning a humanist conspiracy promoting population control policies like abortion, euthanasia, and eugenics. Personally, I sympathise a lot with this group, human life is far too cheap, and the current and the past couple of generations have been consuming resources like there is no tomorrow, and who will we get to pay? the un- born, the elderly, and the retarded. I think this lobby’s rejection of the climate science hurts their efforts to work against policies that target the weak. Finally, there are the “Lomborgites”, those who subscribe to the view that our best chance is to push for continued and accelerated economic growth resulting in the development of a technical solution to global warming and other environmental problems. This I would describe as the “Thelma and Louise” option, where I imagine an hitherto unseen pas- senger in the convertible frantically trying to stitch together a parachute as the car acceler- ates towards the edge of the Grand Canyon. Although, I would concede that at some point, your chances (slim as they are) will improve as accelerating should buy you more hang time. As for academics who hijack book reviews in Weather and Climate to push their agenda, well I won’t even go there. Sincerely Richard Turner

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NATIONAL CLIMATE CENTRETHURSDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2007

National Climate Summary – Winter 2007: Rainfall and temperature contrasts, with floods, windstorms and tornadoes · Rainfall: Well above normal in parts of Northland, Hawke’s Bay, and Otago, well below normal in Nelson, and inland parts of Marlborough and Canterbury · Temperature: Above average throughout the northern half of the North Is- land, below average over the southern half of the South Island · Sunshine: Well above normal in Otago and inland South Canterbury The winter of 2007 had contrasts in rainfall and temperature, with significant extremes. There were serious flood producing rainfall events in Northland, Hawke’s Bay, and Otago. Whangarei had its wettest winter since 1973, Nelson experienced its driest winter since 1987, and extended pe- riods of severe frost occurred in Otago. An unprecedented swarm of damaging tornadoes affected Taranaki over 4-5 July. Other windstorms also damaged property and affected infrastructure. Seasonal rainfall was more than 150 percent (one and a half times) of normal in some eastern areas of Northland, central parts of Hawke’s Bay, and in North Otago. In contrast, rainfall was less than 50 percent (half) of normal in inland areas of Marlborough, and parts of Banks Peninsu- la. Moderate soil moisture deficits, although not severe, existed at the end of winter in many eastern regions from Marlborough to Central Otago. Winter, overall, was warmer than normal throughout the northern half of the North Island, where temperatures were 1°C above average. However, temperatures were more than 1.0 °C below average in some inland parts of Otago, and also below average in inland areas of south Canterbury and Southland. The national average temperature of 8.5 °C was exactly normal. Sunshine hours were well above normal in Otago and inland areas of South Canterbury. Totals were below normal in the Wairarapa. The overall winter climate pattern was dominated by more depressions (‘lows’), often centred southeast of the South Is- land, with more frequent southerly flow over the South Island and lower half of the North Island, and more westerlies further north. Rainfall: Winter rainfall was more than 150 percent (one and a half times) of normal in some eastern areas of Northland, central parts of Hawke’s Bay, and in North Otago, and also above normal in the north of Northland, as well as Thames, Coromandel, and East Otago. In contrast, rainfall was less than 50 percent (half) of normal in inland areas of Marlborough, and parts of Banks Peninsula, and also below normal in Wairarapa, Nelson, many inland areas of Canterbury. Temperature: Seasonal mean temperatures were above average throughout the northern half of the North Island and 1.0 °C above average in parts of Northland and Gisborne. In contrast, they were more than 1.0 °C below average in some inland parts of Otago, and also below average in inland areas of south Canterbury and Southland. The national average temperature of 8.4 °C was 0.1°C below normal. Sunshine: Winter sunshine hours and/or solar radiation were at least 115 percent of normal in Otago, inland areas of South Canterbury, Westland, and Southland. Sunshine hours were below normal in the Wairarapa

HIGHLIGHTS AND EXTREME EVENTS Temperature The highest temperature during the winter was 22.4 °C recorded at Rangiora on the 1 June. Dune- din Airport was also very warm on 31 August, recording 22.2 °C, its highest temperature for late winter in records which commenced in 1963. The lowest air temperature for the winter was -15.4 ºC recorded at Lauder on 18 July, the lowest there since July 1995. Many other inland South Island locations recorded minimum air temperatures below -10.0 ºC during July, often accompanied by freezing fog and treacherous ice.

Snowfall 7-9 June: Snowfall in Southland and Otago, resulted in power outages, with 5-10 cm of snow accumulating in many areas. 20-24 June: About 10 cm accumulated in Southland and Otago (including Queenstown and Dunedin hill suburbs), where roads were icy and treacherous. Reefton, on the West Coast, had its largest snowfall (about 8 cm) since 1969.

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High rainfall 1 June: Major rainfall at Arthurs Pass, with 85 mm. 29 June: Rainfall totalled 130-170 mm in Buller and Westland. 17 July: Major flooding in parts of Hawke’s Bay, particularly near Hastings, with further heavy rainfall resuming on the 18th. 30 July: Major floods along the south Canterbury-Otago coast. 8-11 August: Rainfall at Milford Sound totalled 431mm. 16 August: Rainfall totalled 107 mm at Kerikeri Airport.

High winds and tornadoes 7 June: Wind gusts as high as 148 km/h were recorded from the west at Castlepoint. 24 June: A wind gusts of 148 km/h was recorded from the east at Taiaroa Head. 26 June: Gale force southerlies in Cook Strait, with 5m swells, resulted in the cancellation of ferry crossings. 4-5 July: Several damaging tornadoes affected parts of the north (Auckland and Tauranga) and west of the North Island. Damage was particularly severe in parts of Taranaki over 4-5 July. The first tornado affected New Plymouth’s central business district, lifting a large part of the roof off a major hardware store and destroying a wall. Other shops and houses were also damaged, along with cars. Trees were uprooted and signs destroyed. On the 5th, multiple tornadoes affected Taranaki resulting in the declaration of a state of emergency. The township of Oakura was severely affected, with a substantial number of houses damaged. 31 July: Another, although small, tornado occurred in Brixton, near New Plymouth, tipping a truck and trailer unit on its side, and tearing roofing iron off and crumpling a building’s large roller doors. 11-12 August: Gale force northwesterlies buffeted many central and southern New Zealand .

Combined high winds and flood producing rainfall 10 July: A state of emergency was declared in the far north as gale easterlies and heavy rainfall produced widespread severe flooding and landslips throughout much of Northland. Thou- sands of residents were without phones and electricity, and some had to evacuate. The town of Kaeo was worst hit, and Whangarei was completely blocked off by floodwaters and slips. . More than 140,000 people were without electricity throughout Northland, Auckland, and the Coromandel. A wind gust as high as 180 km/h was recorded on the offshore island of Tititiri Matangi and 148 km/h at Mokohinau Island, north of Auckland, during this event. For further information, please contact: Dr Jim Salinger – Principal Scientist – Climate, NIWA National Climate Centre, Auck- land,Tel. (09) 375 2053, or (027) 521 9468 (mobile) Stuart Burgess – Climatologist – NIWA National Climate Centre, Wellington, Tel. (04) 386 0569, or Geoff Baird, NIWA Communications Manager Tel. (04) 386-0543 or (027) 229 6314. www.niwa.co.nz/ncc Copyright NIWA 2007. All rights reserved. NOTABLE WEATHER FOR WINTER 2007 (Compiled by Ben Tichborne with help from Bob McDavitt) Winter 2007 was changeable with a wide variety of weather affecting NZ, including damaging tornadoes, flood producing rains, heavy snowfalls, and severe frosts. A notable feature of this season was the contrast between north and south - the North Island was generally milder than normal (though often unsettled), while many parts of the South Island were colder than average, with severe frosts in inland areas. JUNE # 1st - Heavy rain about and west of the Southern Alps. Warm 22C maximum in Kaikoura. Christ- church reaches 20C, 6C warmer than the first day of summer 2006-7. # 2nd - 22C maximum in Napier and 20-21C maximums elsewhere in east of North Island and in North- land. However, colder southerlies spreading over South Island with fresh snow on the high country. # 3rd - Overnight snowfalls on South Island ski-fields, previously bare after a prolonged spell of warm, dry weather. 25cm recorded at Mt Hutt. # 4th - Frosty start to the day in many parts of South Island, eg -3C minimum in Gore. # 5th - Mild 19C maximums in Gisborne and Napier, but severe gale westerlies further south in east of North Island.

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# 6th - Westerly gales in the far south, with gusts to 57 knots in Invercargill and 45 knots at Dunedin Airport, also in southern Hawkes Bay/Wairarapa (Castlepoint gusts to 71 knots), causing some trees and power lines to topple. # 7th - 21C maximum in Napier, but severe westerly gales from Central Hawkes Bay to Wairarapa; gusts reaching 80 knots at Castlepoint and up to 100 knots at Kaweka Forest. Very cold southwesterlies in the south of the South Island, with snow showers to low levels in Southland, South Ota- go, and Dunedin's hill suburbs. Winds up to severe gale (59 knots in Invercargill; 97 knots at Mid Dome; 62 knots in Dunedin) with thunder and hail in Southland. Only 5C maximum in Invercar- gill; 6C in Dunedin. Combination of wind and snow brings down power lines and closes roads. # 8th - Very cold southwesterlies continuing in south of South Island, with snow to low levels. Roads again blocked, and power cuts in parts of South Otago. Clinton receives about 20cm of snow. 6C maximums in Dunedin and Invercargill, with gales continuing. (58 knots gusts in Invercargill; 61 knots at Taiaroa Head) Snow also on South Island high country and Alpine passes further north. Some overnight sleet around Christchurch and Canterbury Plains, and light dusting of snow as low as about 300 metres on Banks Peninsula. # 9th - Some further snow showers to low levels in south of South Island. Another chilly 6C maximum in Dunedin. # 10th - 20C maximums in Kaitaia and Kerikeri, but cold further south, eg only 6C maximum in Has- tings; 7C maximums in Napier and Taupo, all thanks to cloud cover and rain moving in from the north. Fresh snow on North Island mountains; falling as low as Desert Road. # 11th - Welcome rain falls in east of North Island. Warm 20C maximum in Kerikeri. # 12th - Heavy frosts in many parts of South Island, eg -4C minimums in Timaru and Ashburton. All day fog in Reefton with temperature only reaching 3C there. By contrast, a mild 19C maximum in Whakatane. # 13th - Severe frosts and areas of fog in many inland and southern areas of South Island. -7C minimum at Dunedin Airport. Only 1C maximum in Alexandra; 2C in Queenstown. # 16th - Cold southeasterly flow over NZ, with fresh snow on eastern ranges and high country of both islands. # 17th - Cold, wet weather in east of North Island, with snow on the high country as low as about 600m. (but no roads closed) Low temperatures counter any positive impact of this rain on grass growth. # 20th-26th - Very cold period with heavy snowfalls in the south (see details below) # 27th - Widespread frosts, severe in many places, eg -9C in Invercargill and -8C in Ashburton. Only 4C maximum in Queenstown. # 28th - A very cold day in many parts of the country, as heavy frosts (eg -10C in Invercargill; -9C at Tara Hills, Dunedin Airport, and Ashburton) are followed by a layer of cloud ahead of ap- proaching low pressure in the Tasman Sea. # 29th - Heavy rain develops in many northern and western areas. Persistent rain also causes some surface flooding around Christchurch by evening. -7C frosts at Dunedin Airport and Invercargill. Some light snow followed by rain falling onto frozen ground results in dangerously icy conditions in Central Otago and Mackenzie Country. Only 0C maximum in Alexandra. # 30th - More heavy rain in northern and western areas in a north to northwest flow. 167mm in Greymouth, 160mm at Arthurs Pass, 120mm at Farewell Spit, 184mm at North Egmont, and 105mm at Castlerock (Coromandel Peninsula) Rain causes slip in Manawatu Gorge. JULY # 1st - Warm 20C maximums in Gisborne and Kaikoura. Downpour (12mm) at Wellington Airport about 5pm causes a spate of car crashes. Heavy rain on South Island West Coast, eg 121mm at Cropp up to 6am 2nd. # 2nd - Thunderstorms in north and west of North Island and northwest of South Island.

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# 3rd - Northwesterlies result in 250mm being recorded at Angle Knob, Tararuas in the 42 hours up to this date. # 4th-7th - Unsettled period, including damaging tornadoes and cold outbreak. (see details below) # 8th - Widespread severe frosts, eg -9C minimum in Twizel, -8C at Dunedin Airport, -6C in Christchurch, and -7C in Invercargill. # 9th-12th - Damaging winds and flooding in north of North Island. (see details below) # 13th-20th - Prolonged icy spell continues over inland parts of South Island. -10C minimum at St Bathans on 13th and -4C max there on 16th. Lowest recorded air temperature is -11C at Tara Hills on 18th. -1-1C maximums in Alexandra during this period under freezing fogs. Icy conditions on roads, but freeze is good for those into curling, as ponds have good ice cover for the sport. # 15th/16th - More heavy rain in Northland and Coromandel Peninsula. Amounts a lot less than those of the big storm a week earlier and not enough to normally cause significant disruption, but saturated ground results in more flooding as well as disrupting the clean up from the earlier storm. # 17th-19th - Heavy rain causes flooding in Hawkes Bay and later in parts of Gisborne area. Some homes in Flaxmere and Maraekakaho (Hastings area) had to be evacuated and cars abandoned. 75mm is recorded in only 3 hours just west of Hastings on 17th. # 20th - Some heavy rain in Bay of Plenty, plus Gisborne and Hawkes Bay ranges. # 21st - Heavy falls of rain in north of North Island. Rain causes slip in Tauranga. Cold southerlies develop over South Island with snow showers to low levels in places, especially inland, where existing frostiness allows snow to settle quickly. (though only light falls) Black ice causes problems on Southland roads by evening. # 22nd - Strong cold southerly flow easing over NZ. Fresh snow on North Island high country; snow and ice closing Desert Road for a time. # 25th - Westerly flow pushes maximums up to 20C in Oamaru and Timaru, and 19C in Ashburton and Christchurch. # 26th - 21C maximum in Kaikoura; 20C in Napier. # 27th-31st - Heavy rain causes flooding in lower South Island (see details below) AUGUST # 1st/2nd - Morning fog (accentuated by moisture from recent rain) in Otago; closing Dunedin and Queenstown Airports on 1st. # 4th - Some heavy showers and thunderstorms in north of North Island. A warm 20C maximum in Whanagarei. By contrast, cold in Canterbury with fresh snow on inland high country, due to moist air moving onto an existing cold airmass. # 5th - 19C maximum in Napier in a mild westerly flow. # 6th - Heavy showers and thunderstorms in areas exposed to west and in central NZ. Early morning lightning strike to signal station in Johnsonville disrupts rail services for a time in Welling- ton region. Snow on South Island high country, eg Lewis Pass. (where chains are essential) # 7th - More thunder and hail from heavy showers in north and west of North Island. Snow lowering on central high country from afternoon, closing Desert Road in evening (reopening late next morning) and making adjacent roads hazardous. # 8th - Heavy rain in Fiordland, eg 191mm at Milford Sound. # 9th - Northwesterly gales in Wairarapa and southern Hawkes Bay. Mild 19C maximums in Ashburton and Christchurch in a west to northwest flow. # 10th - Strengthening northwesterly flow over NZ, with gales in exposed areas in lower South

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Island and southeastern North Island. (150kph gust at Castlepoint.) Warm in eastern areas, eg 22C maximum in Kaikoura and 21C maximums in Gisborne and Dunedin. Heavy rain developing in Fiordland and South Westland and adjacent main divide areas. # 11th - Heavy rain about and west of the Southern Alps. Milford Sound records 284mm in 48 hours; Makarora 105mm in 48 hours. Severe northwesterly gales in inland areas of South Island and lower North Island, eg 83 knot gust at Rock and Pillar; 75 knot gust at Mt Somers. Wind cuts power in Wanaka, and Rimutaka Hill Road closed by 80 knot gusts. 21C maximum in Kaikoura, but cold, wet southerly change spreading onto far south in afternoon, sending temperatures plummeting and snow on the hills. # 12th - Heavy showers and thunderstorms in north of North Island. Lightning splits a tree in two in Auckland. Snow on South Island high country, eg down to about 500m at Mt Somers, Mid Canter- bury. # 13th - Snow showers to low levels in parts of Otago, Southland, and Canterbury. Up to 10cm in parts of western Southland, closing some schools. Lighter snowfalls on the Nelson and eastern North Island high country. # 14th/15th - Widespread severe frosts in southern South Island, eg -8C minimums at Mid Dome (14th), and in Alexandra (15th). -11C frost in Invercargill. (15th) # 15th-17th - A period of heavy rain in northern North Island, especially in areas exposed to northeast. 119mm recorded in Kerikeri; 105mm in Kaeo; 96mm at Whangarei Airport; 150mm at Pinna- cles. (Coromandel) Northeasterly gales accompanies the rain in some places, eg 47 knot gust at Tutukaka. # 21st - Cold southwesterlies bring light snow showers to southern South Island hills. # 25th - Northwesterly gales in Southland. Northerly gales about Cook Strait. # 26th - 20C maximum in Timaru. # 27th - Some heavy rain in northeast of North Island, eg 72mm at Pinnacles. Warm 21C maximum in Kaitaia and 20C in Whangarei. # 29th - Mild 19C maximum in Blenheim. # 30th - Some thunder and hail in east of South Island in wake of cold front. Westerly gales in Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa, eg gusts up to 59 knots at Takapau; 60 knots at Castlepoint. # 31st - Summery end to winter, with 22C maximums in several Canterbury and Otago places. (including August record at Dunedin Airport) MAJOR EVENTS # 20th-26th June - Very cold period with heavy snowfalls in the south This period will be remembered for very cold weather and heavy snowfalls in the lower South Is- land, which caused much disruption. On the 20th, a deep depression (after delivering a second blast of stormy weather to eastern NSW) moved towards Central NZ, with fronts bringing rain to northern and western areas. Over central and southern areas, cloud spreading south ahead of the system followed a frosty night, resulting in cold day temperatures, eg 4C maximum in Alexandra and 5C in Ashburton. On the 21st, while the airmass over southern areas remained cold, the low moved over the South Island. Rain turned to snow in many inland areas, heavy in Central Otago and parts of the Macken- zie Country. Much disruption was caused, including one death when a car fell into Lake Wanaka. Queenstown Airport was closed by snow, while the opening festivities for the town's winter festi- val had to be cancelled. By the end of the day, the low had moved to the southeast, leaving a southwesterly flow in its wake, and the snow ceased. However, Very cold air arrived in the far south on the 22nd following a cold front, bringing more snow to low levels. The worst areas affected this time were South- land, South Otago and Dunedin, with many roads closed, and power cuts in South Otago. Central

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Otago received less snow, but it fell onto an existing cover that hadn't melted, so creating more disruption. The southwesterlies covered all NZ on the 23rd, with further snow falling to low levels in the south, along with southwesterly gales. (which lifted some roofs in Invercargill) Snow also fell to low levels on the West Coast and higher parts of the Nelson area - Reefton's 8cm was reportedly the heaviest there since 1969, with a snowplough having to clear roads through the town. The airmass wasn't as cold as it crossed the North Island, but snow fell low enough to close the Desert Road for a time. Gales were widespread, with westerlies gusting up to 59 knots at Castlepoint and Takapau Plains, and southwesterlies reaching 70 knots in Westport. On the 24th, the southwesterly flow was milder, with snow showers confined to higher country in the far south. However, another cold front reached the far south in the evening, bringing more very cold air and snow to low levels. This cold front moved over the rest of NZ on the 25th, with the airflow tending southerly. This meant the very cold airmass now affected eastern areas, with more snow to low levels in Otago, including Dunedin (lighter than previous fall, but still causing disruption), and now also parts of Canterbury. In the North Island, snow closed the Napier- Taupo Highway and Desert Road, dusted the hills around Taupo, and fell as low as about 200 metres in the south of the island. (including the Rimutaka Hill Road, but not enough to close it) South- erly gales and heavy swells through Cook Strait disrupted ferry crossings. On the 26th, the southerly flow eased, with showers confined to east of North Island. Mean sea-level analyses for midday NZST 21st June to midday NZST 28th June in 24 hour steps are shown here. # 4th-7th July - Unsettled period, including damaging tornadoes and cold outbreak This period was notable for two outbursts of squally thunderstorms and tornadoes in the west of the North Island, (the latter one bringing especially damaging twisters to Taranaki), as well as a very cold southeasterly bringing snow to low levels in the east of the South Island. On the 4th, a complex low pressure system had moved onto the South Island. A cold front and associated thunderstorms crossed the North Island during the afternoon. Tornadoes caused damage in New Plymouth, Auckland (Botany Downs) and Tauranga. The New Plymouth twister was the most damaging, cutting a swathe through the centre of the city. Cold air moved onto the lower South Island, with snow levels lowering in Fiordland and parts of Central Otago. (eg Glenorchy, Arrowtown, and St Bathans) On the 5th, a ridge from an anticyclone to the south of the Tasman Sea started pushing very cold air onto the South Island in a southeasterly flow, with snow lowering to near sea-level in the south later in the day. Meanwhile the low had moved slowly north to lie west of central NZ, with another frontal disturbance moving onto the island in the evening bringing more squally thunderstorms to the west. These were most severe in Taranaki, where a swarm of at least seven tornadoes struck the area. New Plymouth was spared this time, but the twisters caused much damage elsewhere. The small town of Oakura was worst affected, with many houses seriously damaged. By the next day, the low continued to move slowly north, with unsettled weather continuing over northern areas. Yet another tornado was reported, this time in Northland. Further south, the very cold southeasterly flow affected central and southern NZ, with snow to low levels in many eastern parts of the South Island, falls reaching sea-level in some places. The snow was heavy enough to disrupt travel on roads, especially around Dunedin and inland South Canterbury. Depths reached 6cm at Fairlie, 10cm at Waiau (North Canterbury), and 10cm at St Bathans. Alexandra reached only 1C, while most other centres shivered with maximums no more than 4-5C. The snow was quite patchy, though, with only a little sleet and snow reported around Christchurch by early on the 7th. The low pressure system had moved to the far north by late on the 7th, with cold southeasterlies covering most of the North Island by then (some snow fell on the high country, but not heavy enough to cause disruption), while the flow eased and eventually died out over the South Island, with wintry showers clearing in the east. Mean sea-level analyses for midday NZST 5th to 7th July in 24 hour steps is shown here.

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# 9th-12th July - Damaging winds and flooding in north of North Island This storm, affecting areas still recovering from a similar storm back in March, caused much damage due to a combination of torrential rain and severe gales. On the 9th, a deepening depression, which had formed off the NSW coast the day before, moved eastwards towards the far north of the North Island, increasing an east to northeast flow over Northland. At the same time, an intense high to the south of the Tasman Sea pushed a strong ridge into seas just east of the South Island. This situation stayed the same for the next few days, though the low had moved to the north of the North Island on the 10th. Rain became increasingly heavy in Northland as the flow strengthened on the 9th and had become torrential in exposed areas by the next day, with major falls also affecting the Coromandel Peninsula, and by late in the day, the east coast north from Gisborne. Totals over these two days included 272mm in Kaeo, 194mm at Whangarei Airport, 153mm in Kaikohe, and 121mm at Castle Rock. (Coromandel) Severe easterly gales also lashed the upper North Island on the 10th and 11th. Much disruption was caused by both the wind and the rain, including slips, power cuts, fallen trees, and flooded streams and rivers. The town of Kaeo was worst affected. A state of emergency was also declared in the Thames district due to flooding and wind damage, while parts of Auckland were adversely affected too. In total, about 130,000 homes lost power during this storm - some weren't reconnected until over a week later. While northern areas were being blasted by the storm, the South Island was shivering as icy air from high latitudes was trapped over the island thanks to the ridge. Inland areas experienced severe frosts (eg -9C minimum in Twizel on 9th) as well as some freezing fogs which suppressed daytime highs. (only 1C maximums in Alexandra on 10th and 11th) Eastern coasts as far north as the Wairarapa were plagued by drizzly showers, light snow on the hills and chilly daytime temperatures. Blenheim recorded an unusually low 5C maximum on the 9th. Mean sea-level analyses for midday NZST 9th July to midday NZST 12th July in 12 hours steps are shown here.

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# 27th -31st July - Heavy rain causes flooding in lower South Island During this period heavy rain resulted in flooding on Stew- art Is- land and later in eastern parts of Otago and South Can-

terbury. On the 27th and 28th, and mild northwesterly flow covered NZ (20C maximum in Napier on 27th), while a stationary front lay to the south. This front resulted in heavy rain falling over Stewart Island and Fiordland. Meanwhile, a low developed in the North Tasman Sea during this period. During the 29th, this low deepened rapidly and moved south, becoming slow moving to the west of central NZ by the next day. This resulted in a period of heavy rain in the north of the North Is- land, but not enough to cause much disruption this time. However, the large low pressure system also set up a moist easterly flow over southern NZ. In Mid and North Canterbury, heavy rain fell overnight on the 30th, but wasn't prolonged enough to cause anything more than a little surface flooding. By contrast, the rain was much more persistent in South Canterbury and eastern parts of Otago. Flooding was widespread and severe enough to force evacuation of houses in some places, eg in Milton and Palmerston. One positive aspect of this storm was a good dumping

Meteorological Society of New Zealand Newsletter - September 2007 - Page 28 of snow on southern ski-fields which had previously hadn't a decent enough cover, due to prolonged dry (albeit often very cold) weather. Even further south, the stationary front mentioned earlier persisted near Stewart Island, but was now incorporated into the moist easterly flow. Heavy rain continued over the island, resulting in severe slips and washouts in the small settled part of the island. (some homes were cut off) On the 31st, the low pressure system moved over the country and weakened, eventually stopping the rain in the south. Unsettled weather in the North Island resulted in yet another tornado in Taranaki, this time tipping a truck over near Waitara. Mean sea-level analyses for midday NZST 27th July to midday NZST 31st July in 12 hours steps are shown here.

CHRISTCHURCH WEATHER - WINTER 2007 JUNE To cap off an un-

seasonably warm May, June began with a balmy 20C maximum, 6C warmer than the first day of

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For Ben Tichborne’s “Winter in Christchurch” please go to page 57. You ask the questions: Jim Salinger

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© Herald on Sunday : Sunday July 01, 2007 Why are there such extremes in weather between the top half of the North Island and the bottom half of the South Island? In Auckland we're enjoying mostly sunny days and down south they're under snow. Extremes in weather and climate during June have occurred because we have had more prevailing southwesterlies. The bottom half of the South Island has been very exposed to wintry blasts that have come up from subantarctic latitudes. At the same time, Auckland has been largely sheltered from the cold south or southwesterly winds, and the airflow has been off the warmer Tasman Sea. Are you a climate change believer or sceptic? Have you noticed any major changes in your time in weather forecasting and if so, what has been the most surprising? Climate has always changed over time. However, I agree with the latest Intergovern- mental Panel on Climate Change 4th Assessment Report. This has concluded that warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea levels. Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the increase in greenhouse gas con- centrations. Major changes I have noticed in my time in climate research have been the shrinkage of moun- tain glaciers in New Zealand and worldwide, the warming of temperatures and the decrease in frosts. There has been a lot of talk about rising sea levels and what that may do to some low-lying New Zea- land properties. Is this something we will see in our lifetime do you think? Tide gauges around New Zealand show that the sea level has risen by 16-18cm over the past 100 years. The projections of sea level rise indicate increases of half a metre by the end of the century. This could be more if the melting of Arctic Sea ice and Greenland is higher than anticipated. Coupled with this is the change in weather and climate patterns. Recent international climate reports highlighted that ongoing coastal development is likely to exacerbate the future risk to lives and property from sea level rise and storms. If development on the coast continues, then yes this will occur. However, with responsible planning, coastal property and lives will not be at risk. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Climate-watchers give us the details, © Herald July 02, 2007 Wayne Thompson Auckland's weather varies depending on where you live, be it in an urban valley, on top of a hill or down be- side the sea. That difference will be shown by a network of Weatherwise Auckland observers who will give Herald readers a broad coverage of the day's weather and 24-hour readings taken at 5pm. Weatherwise principal Carla Salinger says measurements at four sites a day gives a better representation of what the weather is really like in Auckland. The observers have weather stations set up at Freemans Bay for the inner city, and at Helensville, Orewa, Waiheke Island, Hillsborough, Henderson, St Johns Park, Beachlands, Waiuku and Pukekohe. Some observers have been with Weatherwise Auckland for 10 years or more. Henderson observer Albert Chan said his station was in a valley that was sheltered and warm during the day. But at night, it received cold airflows from inland. Over a year, Hender- son's mean daily temperatures could vary from 20.1C to 9.8C.

From left, Ron Catton, Carla Salinger, Albert Chan, Frits Schouten, Barbara van Ryn, Roger van Ryn and Malcolm Philcox. Photo / Kenny Rodger Barbara and Roger van Ryn, of Beachlands, say their area has its own microclimate. "When the weather comes from the north, we get buckets more rain than anywhere," said Mrs van Ryn. "When it comes from the southwest we do not get as much rain as other places." For 37 years, Waiheke Island resident Malcolm Phil- cox has been manning a weather station that has been in operation since 1914. His records show that last month there was 120mm of rain compared with 230mm in June 1924. "There was one particularly wet three-

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month period when 700mm was recorded, and I suggested farmers could start growing their sheep hydropon- ically," he said.

Torrential rain surprises Wellington motorists, The Dominion Post | Monday, 2 July 2007

CRAIG SIMCOX /Dominion Post SMASH: One of the three cars involved in a crash ended up through the Ba- sin Reserve fence. The crash happened during torrential rain. Fifteen millimetres of rain fell in two hours at Kelburn yesterday afternoon, while 12mm fell at Wellington airport and 13mm in Lower Hutt, Mr Pascoe said. "Those aren't huge numbers, but this narrow frontal band is taking its time getting over us." Lumps in the front were causing short, heavy downpours, he said.

NIWA announces free data policy, Thurs- day, 5 July 2007, 2:59 pm From this month [July 2007], the public will be able to download millions of pieces of climate, water resource, and other environmental information for free. The National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) is making access to its nationally significant databases free over the web. The initiative covers archived data on climate, lake level, river flow, sea level, water quality, and freshwater fish from NIWA, the MetService, and several other contributing agencies. “We hope our free data policy will encourage further scientific discovery and contribute to good natural resource planning and decision-making by giving everyone easy access to quality assured, scientific natural resources data,” says Dr Barry Biggs, NIWA’s General Manager of Environmental Information. “This also provides many new learning and research opportunities for school and university students. They can now ex- plore this vast data resource to learn about New Zealand’s water and climate environment and perhaps dis- cover things previously unknown to science.” NIWA’s initiative also makes these data readily accessible to overseas users. Background National Climate Database: The database currently contains over 250 million individual data points. Data are from 7471 climate stations of which 2817 (38%) are currently ‘open’ (taking measurements at present). This includes 311 stations in the Pacific (restricted access – not free), and 4 stations in Antarctica. - 202 stations have data before 1900. - two stations have data before 1855. - earliest station: Dunedin, Princes St, opened 01-Nov-1852, closed 31-Mar-1864. - longest-running station: Chch Gardens, opened Dec-1864 & still open. Observations include rain, temperature (earth & air), wind, soil moisture, evaporation, solar radiation, sunshine, pressure, humidity. http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz

National Hydrological Database: The database contains the equivalent of over 14 000 ‘station years’ of data. We have approximately: - 220 open sites, with about 30 years of data each (6600 station years), and - 750 closed sites, with about 10 years of data each (7500 station years). - The earliest & longest running station: water-level/flow site, the Kaituna River at the outlet of Lake Rotoiti, installed in November 1905 & still operating. Observations include river flow, river level, lake level, rainfall. http://edenz.niwa.co.nz

Tornadoes rip through New Plymouth, southeast Auckland, July 04, 2007 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10449607&pnum=0

Graphic / Justin Matthews Tornadoes have wreaked havoc today, with a twister tearing through New Plymouth early this afternoon and two people taken to Middlemore Hospital with injuries following a smaller tornado that ripped through south-

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east Auckland just before 4pm. The Fire Service has had eight call outs to the Botany Downs and Golflands areas since the strong gusts in Auckland. In New Plymouth, Taranaki Racing Club staff were seconds away from being caught by flying glass after the tornado swept over the local racecourse this afternoon. The tornado tore through three kilometres of New Plymouth's CBD, tearing off roofs and scattering debris in its wake, this afternoon. Eye witnesses said the tornado came in from the sea and announced its presence with a loud rumbling noise. One of the first casualties of the twister was the PlaceMakers store in New Plymouth's CBD.

The roof of New Plymouth's PlaceMakers store comes to rest against a tree. Photo / Carey Davis Senior Sergeant Robbie O'Keefe said the tornado had left a trail of destruction but there was no indication anyone had been injured. The Radio Network's head weather analyst Philip Duncan said a huge band of thunderstorms was spreading into western areas. "We are warning rain falls could be heavy enough to cause surface flooding during these embedded storms. Winds may easily reach gale force within seconds." Mr Duncan warned regions south of Auckland and north of Taranaki were most at risk. - NZPA, NEWSTALK ZB, NZ HER- ALD STAFF. TVOne:

North Island cleans up after tornadoes, Jul 5, 2007 The North Island is cleaning up after twisters struck on Wednesday afternoon. The first tornado spun ashore in New Plymouth at around 1pm and damaged half a dozen buildings leaving three people with minor injuries. At about 4pm another tornado ripped through part of Botany Downs in Auckland, lifting tiles from around 30 roofs and resulting in two people being taken to hospital. The third twister struck in Tauranga at about 5:30pm, sending outdoor furniture flying and damaging at least two roofs. MetService Ambassador Bob McDavitt says there may have been other twisters in remote areas. The thunderstorms that spawned the spate of twisters that struck the North Island have passed but MetService says there is no guarantee similar weather conditions won't recur. McDavitt has some advice for people who look out their window to see a tornado bearing down. He says they should hunker down inside the safest part of the house and if there is time it's a good idea to open the windows to ease the pressure inside the house. McDavitt says the winds near the centre of Wednesday's tornados were probably gusting around 100 kilometres an hour, with signs of twisting that would have created a sucking effect. New Plymouth a tornado 'hot-spot',NZPA | Thursday, 5 July 2007 Metservice severe weather forecaster John Crouch says the coastal areas around New Plymouth are a known "hot-spot" for tornados. Taranaki was hit by a swarm of tornadoes on Thursday one day after a twister left a trail of destruction through the New Plymouth city centre. The MetService said they were being caused by a series of thunder storms stretching 100km along the Tara- naki coast

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The western side of the North Island was the second most likely area to get tornados, after Westland. "Anywhere from Auckland, Waikato, right down to the Kapiti Coast," Mr Crouch said. In the South Island the terrain brought a lot of rain and thunderstorms, and strong winds were "turned" by the Southern Alps, sometimes triggering tornados. "In the North Island the trigger tends to be north-easterly surface winds, which get a bit of friction over land, while the high-altitude winds aloft tend to be north-westerly, causing a turning effect. "It tends to occur particularly during winter, when thunderstorms spawned in the Tasman are moving on to the west coast of the North Island, and hitting this specific wind profile". The average frequency of tornado occurrence in New Zealand has been estimated by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) to be over 30 a year, including an average of four in the Taranaki region. Most New Zealand tornados and waterspouts are relatively small and are typically very narrow – with damage paths estimated to average 18m – and have short tracks. Experts estimate only about a third of them occur near people and are reported. In one cluster of tornado activity near New Plymouth, a dozen tornados were reported between 1961-1975. One of the most severe in recent times was three years ago at Waitara, which demolished a house. That big tornado, on August 15, 2004, hit 16km northeast of New Plymouth and demolished all the main power lines feeding the area north and inland from Waitara, cutting off nearly 7000 consumers. It was particularly severe, with debris spread over an area 400m long by 50m wide. Rated at a similar intensity, New Zealand's worst tornado was in Frankton and a nearby part of Hamilton on August 25, 1948, leaving three people dead and 80 injured. On March 10, 2005, a waterspout formed over the sea just west of Greymouth and made landfall in Blaketown, then carved through the town centre. Like the Frankton tornado, it was rated at F2 on the "fujita scale" indicating windspeeds of 150-200kph. The Greymouth tornado caused almost $10 million in damage and seriously injured three people, but despite the magnitude of the tornado no-one was killed.

Tornadoes ravage Taranaki, Taranaki Daily News | Thursday, 5 July 2007 MARK DWYER/Taranaki Daily News CHAOS: Tornadoes have ripped through the seaside township of Oakura, causing extensive damage.

MARK DWYER/Taranaki Daily News I DID HAVE A ROOF: A sheet of corrugated iron ends up wrapped around a power pole after tornadoes ripped through the seaside township of Oakura. A State of Emergecy has been declared in Taranaki after a swarm of tornadoes hit the area, as reports of damage flooded in, and the Metservice predicting more twisters across the country. Senior Sergeant Geoff Ryan of New Plymouth police said that at 5.30pm during an electrical storm tornados hit the in Oaku- ra, Egmont Village, Inglewood and the Waitara area. A Civil Defence spokesman said at least six tornados hit the region. Worst hit was Oakura, which has 40-to 50 houses sustaining damage of up to 80 per cent. Many of those houses are uninhabitable. Powerco said power was cut to 6000 homes throughout the region, affecting up 20,000 people. By 10pm power had been restored to about 2500. • Additional reporting NZPA, Stuff.co.nz

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Why the spate of tornadoes? Friday July 06, 2007 The series of tornadoes that have hit the west coast of the North Island in recent days has raised questions about why there has been a sudden concentration.

TREVOR READ/Taranaki Daily News RIPPED APART: Firefighters look at the roof that was torn off Placemakers in New Plymouth by a tornado.

According to MetService, the reason is fairly simple - a combination of Antarctic cold air hitting warmer seas and creating thunderstorms. New Zealand experiences, on average, about 20 moderate to strong tornado events each year and most have been reported in the North Island, particularly around the Bay of Plenty and Auckland. Taranaki has also had it's fair share with 12 tornadoes between 1961 and 1975. But this week it has had as many as eight already, according to reports. MetService Forecaster Oliver Druce said large thunderstorms were currently coming off the Tasman sea and the storms were "a breeding ground for tornadoes". Colleague Bob McDavitt said: "The whole atmosphere is kind of sorting itself out after a break of cold air off Antarctica. "It's accentuated a couple of fronts in the Tas- man Sea and when they move onto the North Island, Taranaki takes the brunt of them. "It's very cold air over the South Island, and the temperature difference is much stronger than normal. The temperature difference is what's causing the problem. It's slowly unravelling, but its going to take a while." He said every thunderstorm had a "chimney, or bubble of rising air, in the middle". When that rising air gets into the cold air above it turns to rain, so that causes some falling air. Mr McDavitt said: "In a normal thunderstorm that process ticks over rea- sonably well. But in a thunderstorm breeding a tornado, the cold air falls and encloses around the bubble of rising air and contracts it. So it squeezes the chimney of rising air into a tornado.' "It's unusual for us to get them all together, but it can happen." How they happen Tornadoes are caused when air is drawn into the base of a large thunderstorm cloud and accelerated up- wards. Any rotation in the air is concentrated - much the same as when a skater or dancer spins faster when they pull their arms in towards their torso. The wind that is sucked into the storm begins to swirl and form a funnel, or tornado. The air inside the funnel begins to spin fast, creating a low air pressure which pulls even more air in. Tornadoes are usually associated with clouds that have a strong up-draught, and clouds that have a strong up-draught are normally associated with thunderstorms. Winds that change direction with height help to induce the spin of the air as it gets sucked into the thunderstorm. With wind speeds as high as 300 kilometres per hour, a tornado can be very destructive when it reaches the ground. Not uncommon in NZ Tornadoes, or "twisters', are not uncommon in New Zealand, but most of the time they don't strike populated areas. A series of small tornadoes tore off roofs and downed trees in parts of Greymouth in May this year. Roofs were blown off, iron strewn along streets, letterboxes blown from their bases and fences knocked over. Residents there recall a far worse tornado sweeping in from the sea and hitting the town in March 2005. New Zealand's worst tornado struck Frankton in the Waikato on August 25, 1948. The twister killed 3 and injured 80 others, and damaged or destroyed 163 buildings and 50 businesses. NZHERALD STAFF, NZPA

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Tornadoes cause $7m damage, storms move north (+photos), Friday July 06, 2007

A tornado in Wanganui uprooted a tree and upturned a bus shelter in Wanganui. Photo / Wanganui Chronicle The thunderstorms which caused a series of twisters in Taranaki and Wanganui last night are now moving north. Storms are forming offshore across Northland, Auckland and the Waikato and conditions could be right for more tornadoes, Newstalk ZB head weather analyst Philip Duncan said. A severe weather warning from MetService said a low in the Tasman Sea was expected to track across Northland early this afternoon and Auckland this evening. Heavy rain and thunderstorms ahead of this were due on Northland from late this morning. A state of emergency was declared in the New Plymouth district last night after a series of tornadoes there left thousands without power and homes severely damaged. Early assessments from Insurance Council represent- atives put tornado damage in New Plymouth and Oakura alone at $7 million and rising.

Herald graphic Taranaki Civil Defence said up to 50 houses were damaged in Oakura, where a tornado went straight through the town. Some were up to 80 per cent damaged and many were uninhabitable.

Weather experts believe Thursday's twisters were some of the worst in recent times. Taranaki is known to be a hot spot, but tornadoes are notori- ously difficult to predict and are not even fully understood by scientists. NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) meteorologist Mike Revell says while they have the technology and science to be able to recognise the atmospheric conditions that are likely to produce tornadoes, the small scale of tornadoes makes them hard to forecast. "You need a big strong vertical updraft basically, and the best way to get that is underneath a thunderstorm," says Revell.

MetService forecaster John Crouch says that the updraft of the thunderstorm is so strong it acts to stretch out the air that is being sucked in and concen- trates it into a strong vortex. He uses the analogy of a spinning ice skater to explain. "As she pulls her hands in she spins faster and faster...It's the same concept in that the air's being sucked into the thunder storm and it's being stretched out," he says.

Tornado intensity is measured on the Fujita Scale which ranges from zero to five - five being the most intense. New Zealand tornadoes are usually F0 whereas the large twisters in mid-Western United States can range up F5 with the ability to cause widespread destruction and death. Kiwi tornadoes are usually around in the tens of metres wide and have tracks of just a couple of kilometres, but while they may not be on the same scale as America, they are not as rare as commonly thought. Around 20 tornadoes are reported every year in New Zealand, and the Taranaki region alone has had more than 50 twisters in the past 50 years. Most occur on the west coast, and many more probably go unreported, blowing themselves out before they reach the gaze of civilisation. Source: One News

Taranaki tornado seasons tracked Monday July 09, 2007 Angela Gregory

Houses in Oakura lost roof tiles in the swarm of tornadoes that hit the seaside town last week. Photo / Greg Bowker A tornado strong enough to damage property and put lives at risk can be expected in Taranaki on average once every four years, according to research carried out by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa). Principal climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger said there were 57 tornado "events" in the region from 1951 to 2006. Of those, 81 per cent did some damage and 21 per cent had inflicted major structural damage.

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Dr Salinger said that on average about one potential- ly lethal tornado severe enough to damage property would hit Taranaki about once every four years. Typical weather included the presence of low pressure and associated frontal activity over or west of Taranaki with winds from the north and west. The tornadoes would often track from the coast inland. In studying past tornadoes, Niwa found most had maximum wind speeds in the 116-180km/h range, with 10 per cent attaining wind speeds in excess of 180km/h. Track or damage widths averaged 100m (range 15m to 500m) with a mean track length of 5km (range 1.5km to 16km). Dr Salinger said 70 per cent of tornadoes in Taranaki were reported in the New Plymouth district, especially in or near the city. The highest risk of tornado development occurred over the sea surrounding the region. "The many reports of Taranaki tornadoes suggest many of these spawn as waterspouts over the sea and come in across the north Taranaki coast from the northwest." He said it appeared that Mt Taranaki had little effect on the spatial distribution. Compared with other regions, Taranaki had a high rate of tornadoes, accounting for 12 per cent or more of the national occurrences, making it a relatively high-risk area, especially New Plymouth.The city lay within an area of relatively high wind speeds and the study showed the district was more at risk than other parts of Taranaki because of its expo- sure to thunderstorms and unstable northwest air masses from the Tasman Sea. Most tornadoes had occurred in this district with the worst causing major structural damage and some loss of life.

Debris from buildings was carried hundreds of metres and some even ended up embedded in other houses. Photo / Greg Bowker Seasonally, the most tornadoes occurred in August, double the frequency of any other month, and the least in November, with none ever being reported in January. The most severe occurrences also occurred during Au- gust. Dr Salinger said it was not known whether climate change would produce more tornadoes but gale- and storm-force winds from the west were likely to increase in Taranaki. The broad pattern of expected changes out to 2100 for New Zealand included increases in westerly winds. Global climate models suggested that for mid-range temperature change projections, the mean westerly wind component across New Zealand would increase by approximately 10 per cent of its current value by 2050. The highest wind speed expected to occur once a year could increase by about 3 per cent by 2080. Over the sea or flat land the annual frequency of occurrence of winds of 120km/h or more might increase by about 40 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2080.

Jul 6, 2007 8:02 PM The inland Canterbury community of Methven had a solid snowfall on Fri- day morning, with locals reporting about 10 centrimetres on the ground. It also snowed steadily in Ashburton but wet conditions prevented snow from settling.

Grandson snatched from rampaging flood Monday July 09, 2007 by Simon O'Rourke

Five-year-old Henry Bredin was saved from the flash flood. Photo / Sarah Ivey A grandfather desperately searched underwater for his 5-year-old grandson after a flash flood forced chest-high water through their Ta- ranaki home. The flooded Kapikara stream swept through the home in a valley between Oakura and Okato about midnight Saturday. The little boy was almost swept away after being pulled from his grand-

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mother's grasp but was saved after the 60-year-old grandfather, a smallholder, dived beneath the "tsunami-like wave" to search for the youngster. As the water rose towards the ceiling, the trio fled to safety through a window.

Severe frosts create havoc in South Island By BECK ELEVEN - The Press | Monday, 9 July 2007

PETER MEECHAM/The Press WHITE WINTER: Brent Donald cycles through frosted tussock on his way to the top of Mount Grey in North Canterbury yesterday. The most severe frost this winter caused icy havoc on South Island roads while the thaw burst water pipes, flooding homes and businesses. The Fire Service was stretched yesterday with over 100 call-outs to watery chaos in homes, schools and commercial properties as sprin- kler and heating systems burst. Blue Skies Weather forecaster Tony Trewinnard said South Islanders could expect frosty mornings with fine days for the rest of the week. He said the chilly southerly winds and the accompanying anticyclone promised dry but cold weather with no snowfall expected in coming days. Fire crews in Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill were frantic with burst water pipes. Icy roads have been blamed for two major South Island accidents. Mount Hutt Ski Area manager David Wilson said more than 6000 people had visited the skifield over the weekend with record numbers on the slopes yesterday. "We had about 35cm (of snowfall) over Thursday and Friday and it's just made awesome conditions for skiing," he said.

Storm floods Far North, cuts power to 115,000 homes on way south

Flooding 20 minutes east of Kaitaia. Photo / Ike Urlich Tuesday July 10, 2007 Some 115,000 homes are without power after torrential rain and strong winds struck the north of the country, isolating the Far North before moving into southern parts of Northland, Auckland and Coromandel. Winds in excess of 140km/h are expected overnight in all three areas and police are advising residents to stay indoors and not use the roads unless "absolutely necessary". A state of emergency was today declared in the Far North after strong winds and flooding after a month's rain in 12 hours. The flood is considered a one in 100 year event with 254mm of rain in the Kaeo district alone. Vector Energy spokeswoman Denise Bai- ley said 65,000 customers were without power in the Rodney district, between Wellsford and Orewa, and about 25,000 were without power on Auckland's North Shore. Powerco said the winds and rain and caused outages to approximately 25,000 consumers on the Coromandel, Hauraki Plains and Piako areas. There were several reports of uprooted trees and flying debris and a number of boats blown from their moorings on the Waitemata Harbour.

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Lights on the Auckland Harbour Bridge were out and traffic delays were worsened when the median lane bar- rier was knocked out of alignment. - ANGELA GREGORY, NEWSTALK ZB, NZPA, Jul 10, 2007 The National Crisis Management Centre in Wellington has been activated because of the worsening weather situation in the upper North Island. The Ministry of Civil Defence says the centre is monitoring the situation in Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Waikato and Bay of Plenty. Northland's Civil Defence has been activated due to the severe weather which has caused slips and flooding.

Deluge leaves trail of destruction By KIM RUSCOE and RUTH HILL - The Dominion Post | Wednesday, 11 July 2007 JOHN SELKIRK/Dominion Post WAITING FOR THE WORST: The Kerikeri River in full flood as it smashed into the bridge at high tide, after a month's worth of rain fell in less than 12 hours. Kerikeri's historic Stone Store was only metres from a raging torrent.

A state of emergency was declared in the Far North as a month's worth of rain fell in less than 12 hours, closing roads and leaving thousands of people without power or phones. The little town of Kaeo, devastated by storms in late March, had 253mm of rain between midnight and 3am yesterday - a once-in-150- years event, according to hydrologists. At least 23 houses were flooded, with water up to a metre high in some places. Residents and emergency services were brac- ing last night for more rain, with MetService forecasting another deluge between midnight and 3am, coinciding with high tide. Up to 100,000 households and businesses were without power last night. About 3000 homes were without power in the Far North, and more were believed to be without power in the Whangarei district. Two motorcyclists were blown off their bikes on Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Thousands without power, roads remain closed after storm, Herald 11 July2007 Thousands of homes north of Auckland and throughout the Far North are still without power and roads remain closed. A boat washed up on Waiake Beach near Long Bay. Photo / Paul Estcourt Wednesday July 11, 2007

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At Tiritiri Matangi, off the Whangaparaoa peninsula, a wind gust of 180km/h was recorded. A number of businesses were broken into last night as thieves took ad- vantage of the power black out that hit 140,000 homes and companies. Up to 60,000 homes in Auckland remained without power this morning after about 140,000 Vector customers were without power at some time overnight. The Sky Tower closed due to the high winds and ferry, rail and road transport was disrupted. Ferries were running again this morning. In Northland, up to 5000 homes were without power and Whangarei Hospital was using an emergency gener- ator. All roads leading to Whangarei were blocked this morning as a result of flooding and slips. - with NZPA

$2m storm warning system for Bay, 11.07.2007 By JOHN COUSINS Life-saving technology enabling pin-point tracking of storms across Bay of Plenty is to be introduced by Met- Service in about two years. Construction of a new weather radar station in the ranges between Tauranga and Rotorua will take the guesswork out of predicting the path and severity of thunderstorms. Funding for the $2.5 million station in the Mamaku Range has just been announced by the Government as part of a $10m initiative to introduce weather radars into Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and Hawke's Bay/Gisborne. Details have emerged as a furious storm battered parts of the North Island yesterday afternoon and overnight. MetService chief forecaster Rod Stainer said the advance warning system would eliminate the situation in which the intensity and direction of the storms which devastated Tauranga and Matata in May 2005 could be forecast. Tauranga was at the limit of Auckland's weather radar and the curvature of Earth meant it could detect weather only about 6km high. "You lose a hell of a lot of information at that point." Mr Stainer said the radar station would supply precise short-term warnings of localised weather events - down to which suburbs and townships would be hit, when a storm would strike and the volume of torrential rain. It would mean emergency services could react proactively and close a section of road that regularly flooded or issue a general warning to low-lying homes in the path of the storm. Mr Stainer said people would notice little difference in day-to-day forecasts, which could not be as precise because they covered such big areas in few words. However MetService would be able to update local forecasts with short-term information from the radar, such as if a bank of thunderstorms was coming through. "The key purpose of weather radar is to monitor severe localised events, try to give predictions on the quanti- ty of rainfall, where it will go in the next hour and which areas need to be on standby." The weather radar was also a very popular tool for people accessing graphics on the MetService's website: www.metservice.com Radar readings on wind speed and direction were also useful for fishermen. Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said the radar was good news. The region's mayors had lobbied hard to get a radar station here because of the importance of quality localised weather information. -with Michele McPherson and NZPA

Forecast grim for insurance companies, local bodies, July 14, 2007 By Derek Cheng Extreme weather driven by climate change is expected to become more intense and more frequent, pushing up insurance premiums and causing headaches for local authorities. Jim Salinger, principal scientist at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, said the conse- quences of climate change could not be avoided. "As it gets warmer, floods, landslides, droughts and storms are very likely to become more frequent and intense. A one-in-20-year event could become a one-in-five-year event."

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Dr Salinger said a predicted increase in westerly winds made future heavy rainfalls in western regions and droughts in the eastern regions more likely; already this year debilitating droughts have struck Hawkes Bay and parts of the Wairarapa. Though highly populated areas - including Auckland and Wellington - are not expected to suffer the worst of weather changes, the overall rise in temperature will still increase the likelihood of storms. But the exact impact was unknown because there were several contributing factors, including how carbon emissions are curbed. Dr Salinger said the atmosphere could hold 8 per cent more moisture for every 1C rise in temperature, but projections for rises vary; the increase in Northland by the 2080s is between 0.6C and 4C. It is up to each local and regional authority to monitor and deal with climate issues and related risks. Auckland City Council says a one-in-50-year rainfall would flood 860 homes across the city. Developers cannot build properties within 20m of the shoreline in parts of Manukau, where the council is ten- dering research to find out more about climate change.

Arabella Sampson, 6, hitches a ride on Ebony Lamb on the ski slopes at Turoa yesterday. The Wellingtonians were making the most of the last weekend of the school holidays. Photo / Alan Gibson

Insurance Council chief executive Chris Ryan said areas more vulnerable to weather extremes included pockets of the Far North, East Cape and the South Taranaki coast. Property owners might find it difficult to get insurance unless they were prepared to pay higher premiums. Climate-related hazards cost insurers $800 million last year, and this year's bill looks equally ominous, including $7-10 million for the tornadoes in Taranaki, $5 million for the cold snap in the Deep South and at least $10 million each for Northland, Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula for this week's extreme weather. Far North Mayor Yvonne Sharp has called for more powers for local government to stop developments that put people and their homes in danger. At present, councils can prevent such developments, but the Environ- ment Court can overturn their decisions.

Picturesque but treacherous By STAFF REPORTERS - The Southland Times | Tuesday, 17 July 2007 BARRY HARCOURT/ STILL LIFE: A heavy hoar frost painting a perfect postcard shot near Omakau yesterday. The south's chilly mornings are set to continue at least until the weekend, according to the MetService. Forecaster Geoff Sanders said a big ridge of high pressure sitting over the bottom of the South Island was to blame for the regular visits from Jack Frost. Jack appears to have his feet firmly planted with temperatures set to continue plummeting to below zero most nights this week. "What you see is what you're gonna get, really," Mr Sanders said. Invercargill's maximum temperature today is expected to reach 4degC while Queenstown is expected to reach 5degC. Mr Sanders said the high pressure was also creating inversions, especially in central regions. "Normally as you go higher the temperature decreases, but under these inversions the temperature actually increases as you go higher. So it traps in fog and that sort of stuff," he said. The frosty nights were causing many roads to remain treacherous. Throughout Central Otago a hoar frost gripped the landscape. Torrential rain causes chaos in Hawke's Bay. Tuesday, 17 July 2007

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NZPA DRENCHED: A parent leaves the school through the flood water to help rescue kids from Puketapu School, near Napier, New Zea- land.

KIM POWER EVERYBODY OUT: Staff and students from Maraekakaho school had to be evacuated by the army via unimog after water flooded their school. Houses were evacuated and schools and businesses closed today as torrential downpours caused severe flooding in parts of Hawke's Bay. A Ministry of Education spokesman said eight schools in Hawke's Bay were closed due to flooding. Maraekakaho School west of Hastings and Puketapu School west of Napier were the worst affected with water rushing through classrooms at one stage at Maraekakaho and school grounds left under water at Puketa- pu. Others, including Napier's Hukerere College, were closed voluntarily. Five houses at Maraekakaho were evacuated, with residents temporarily relocated to homes of friends and family. Other residents in the rural Napier-Taihape Rd area were trapped by high water levels across roads. The Hastings suburb of Flaxmere was the worst of the urban areas to be affected with businesses and public centres such as the local library and swimming pool complex forced to close because of flooding. Soldiers from the army's Napier-based Wellington Hawke's Bay battalion were put to good use in the Ma- raekakaho and Puketapu communities after the flooding. Four Unimog trucks were dispatched to the areas at the request of police this morning. -NZPA

More schools closed in flood-hit Hawkes Bay People help out at Puketapu School yesterday. Pho- to / Hawke's Bay Today Wednesday July 18, 2007 By Juliet Rowan and Edward Gay Three more schools have been closed by flooding in Hawkes Bay today. Tikokino Principal Damien Kinsey says there is no flooding at the school, but slips and debris on State Highway 50 have meant most of the school's 63 pu- pils were not able to make it to class. The other schools to close are Onga Onga and Sher- wood. The area is experiencing heavy rain for the second day in a row, after flash flooding yesterday closed schools and businesses and forced the evacuation of homes. Metservice is forecasting a further 120mm today and the rain will continue into the weekend, said forecaster Oliver Druce.

Brrrr ... yesterday morning coldest this year

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Tuesday July 24, 2007 By Angela Gregory Photo / Northern Advocate Aucklanders who yesterday had to cope with the coldest start to any day this year can take com- fort in that it was probably as cold as it will get this winter. MetService forecaster Bob McDavitt said readings taken at Auckland Airport at dawn recorded a 1C air temperature and a - 4C frost, making them the coldest temperatures recorded for the city this winter. Henderson was even colder with a - 1C air temperature and - 5C frost. Whangarei also had its coldest morning this winter with an air temperature of 2C as did Rotorua with - 3C. Tauranga's - 1C was equal to the morning of July 14. Mr McDavitt said the frosty morning in Auckland was due to clear skies, no wind and relatively low moisture levels on the ground due to fine conditions on Sunday. Yesterday's frost was only moderate, not the first this winter and not a record breaker. Auckland usually got more frosts.

South mops up after floods , Tuesday July 31, 2007 A jogger in Dunedin. Photo / Otago Daily Times Four homes in Palmerston were evacuated last night with water waist deep running down State High- way One "like a river". Waimate District Council spokeswoman Carolyn Johns said the roads around Morven, 34km north east of Oamaru, were extremely dangerous and the township itself had been flooded. Environment Canterbury flood control spokesman Philip Lees said the rain was mostly in the northern part of South Canterbury, in the foothills. The rain started falling heavily late last night. Ecan measuring equipment in Waimate recorded 42mm of rain falling on the town in four hours. Dunedin Civil Defence spokesman Neil Brown said residents reported flooding in flat areas of Dunedin, including Mosgiel and parts of South Dunedin. No-one was evacuated by Civil Defence, though some people in Dunedin chose to leave their homes overnight because the sounds of water nearby made them uncomfortable, he said.According to rain gauges on the regional council's website, the Pine Hill station has recorded over 73ml in the last 24 hours."Last night when I left the office I went down to the Leith, she was a raging torrent - really wild. But I would think it's quieting down a hell of a lot," Mr Chin said.

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Big bill for Island damage, By AMY MILNE - The Southland Times | Wednesday, 1 August 2007

BARRY HARCOURT/Southland Times/Image ID 108887 DOWN SHE GOES: The sad sight of a yacht that succumbed to the storm at Thule Bay during high winds at Stewart Island. The bill from slips and other damage on Stewart Island after this week's rain deluge was likely to reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Southland District Council said yesterday. MetService readings show 174mm fell at the South West Cape of the island in four days. MetService forecaster Oliver Druce said the good news was the worst of it was over. However, that had come too late for some. Ackers Point residents Philippa Fraser-Wilson and Ian Wilson now have to walk 500m to their vehi- cles because the road to their house had been closed since Saturday because of slips. Mrs Fraser- Wilson said the road had been unstable for some time and increased traffic in recent years, such as tourist buses, had sped up the problem.

Ready to feel the heat, Sunday August 05, 2007 By Sarah Stuart New Zealand faces decades of drought, flooding, intense winds and enormous changes to farming and crop production because of global warming, a new book on the future of our weather reveals. Kiwifruit growing will be squeezed out of some regions, wine will be grown in Southland, olives in Dunedin and average temperatures will rise up to 4C under sce- narios painted by science writer Gareth Renowden in Hot Topic: Global Warming and the Future of New Zealand (AUT Media), published next week. Renowden has drawn on Niwa studies and international research to pinpoint what global warming will mean for New Zealand over the next century, pointing to heatwaves and regional droughts in the north and east of the country, while the west and south faced intense rain and flooding. Renowden, an olive, grape and truffle grower in Canterbury, says New Zealand - like the rest of the world - can expect average temperatures to rise between 2C and 4C by the 2090s. "Heatwaves will become more frequent and we can expect fewer frosts," he writes. "That can already be seen - the number of cold nights and frosts per year has diminished by 10-20 since 1950." Renowden says that by the end of the century, Taranaki, Manawatu, the West Coast, Otago and Southland will have higher average rainfall, while Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and the eastern parts of Canterbury and Marlborough will be drier. "Large rainfall events are expected to become up to four times more common by the end of the century... rainfall will generally become more intense." Over the whole of the country, there could be 20 per cent more rain on the three wettest days of the year, he says. On the West Coast that will mean 40mm more rain on each of those days. Canter- bury will get 50 per cent more rain in the year's heaviest falls. Renowden says droughts will also increase; the frequency of a one-in-20-year drought might double by the 2080s in inland and northern Otago, parts of Canterbury and Marlborough and in Wairarapa, Bay of Plenty and Northland. And that is under a "low-to-medium" warming scenario. That same one- in-20-year drought would be four times more likely in many areas under a medium-to-high warming scenario. This will mean demand for irrigation will increase considerably and warmer and shorter winters will mean a higher snowline. Niwa's latest studies suggest that by the end of the century, Mt Cook could have an average summer temperature increase of 6C (from 14-20C) which would have a major impact on snow levels and could cause large rockfalls and landslides. Rising sea levels are of most concern in our island nation and Renowden says Niwa is warning of a 20cm rise in sea level by 2050, and a 50cm rise by 2100.

You ask the questions: Gareth Renowden, Sunday August 12, 2007 Gareth Renowden, author of Hot Topic: Global Warming and the Future of New Zealand. Q. I read last week's article on your new book and a lot of what you say will happen in New Zea- land (wine growing in Southland, dryer warmer climate in the east etc) sounds like what our cold, damp isles need. Am I being Pollyanna? A. There will be parts of NZ that benefit from some increased warmth over the next few decades,

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but there are others that will suffer. Droughts will increase in frequency down the east coast of both islands, for instance. NZ is expected to warm more slowly than most of the world, but we will still be vulnerable to what happens in the northern hemisphere. Damaging climate changes will affect the world economy, and have knock-on effects down here. Q. If you were buying a family holiday home over the next few years, which you wanted to pass on to future generations, where would you buy and why? A. I would be cautious about buying property on low-lying coastal land. Increased flooding caused by heavier rainfall is also likely, so I would be careful about buying property on river flood plains, or anywhere that has a history of flood problems. Q. I'm a believer in man-made global warming who often ends up in arguments with those who say it is nothing more than a climate blip and will right itself. What is the best argument against these people? A. About 25,000 years ago, in the middle of the last ice age, when ice caps covered Europe and North America, the level of carbon di- oxide in the atmosphere was about 180 parts per million and the sea was 120m below the current level. The global average temperature was roughly 5C colder than today. Before we started burning lots of fossil fuels, atmospheric CO2 was 280ppm. Today, CO2 stands at 383ppm - about a third more than in the early 1800s. A 100ppm increase in CO2 was enough to end an ice age, and we've just added another 100ppm. We have pushed the climate system a long way beyond "normal" conditions, so it's no surprise the world is warming up and the sea level rising. Q. What has been the most startling global and local change in climate over the past 12 months? A. Arctic sea ice is melting at an amazing rate. US scientists monitoring the ice reported a few days ago it had set a new record low - a month ahead of the end of the melting season when the sea ice is at its lowest extent. This year is going to "annihilate" the old record (set in 2005), they said. The prospect of a North Pole free of ice in summer, until recently not expected to happen in this century, now looks as though it could happen in a few decades. In NZ we've seen extreme weather - floods in Northland and tornadoes in Taranaki. That could be a sign of what we can expect as the climate warms. Q. Do you think the NZ Government is doing enough to prepare for climate change? What should we be doing? A. The Government will be announcing a lot of policy over the next couple of months, so it's difficult to criticise without seeing what's proposed. I'd like to see a cross-party accord on climate policy, but that doesn't seem likely in the run-up to an election. What NZ does to cut its emissions will have no effect on global climate - we're too small to make any difference - but if we want to continue to trade with the rest of the world, we'll have to take emissions cuts seriously. At the same time, our exporters will have to ensure they are "climate friendly" if they want to do business in Europe and the rest of the world.

Three new radars to boost weather warning system By KELLY GREGOR - Waikato Times | Saturday, 11 August 2007 A new radar system will make predicting severe weather easier in the Waikato, the MetService says. The Government has approved funding for three new radars around the North Island. The first will be installed at New Plymouth airport next June. MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt said the new radars would give them more accurate and faster information about pending weather patterns. The other two radars will be installed in Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty. Specific sites and dates have not yet been confirmed but they will be installed within the next three years. The radars will cost about $10 million. Mr McDavitt said severe thunderstorms caused significant damage very quickly, but the new radars would enable smaller and isolated towns to get plenty of warning before storms hit. Radars were the only way to track the path and progress of thunderstorms. The North Island now has two radars - one in Auckland and one in Wellington. These radars cover only 25 per cent of the North Island. The three new radars will increase coverage to 80 per cent. The regional council Environment Waikato emergency management officer Adam Munro said the radar in Taranaki "will greatly enhance EW's existing flood warning capability, by enabling the real time tracking and monitoring of severe weather systems coming into the Waika- to".

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Gale force winds in South and North, Aug 11, 2007 Winds of up to 140 kilometres an hour brought down main power lines feeding Wanaka, Luggate and Lake Hawea. More than 6,000 customers were affected and linesmen say repairs were not easy. In the North Is- land police closed the Rimutaka road north of Wellington after wind gusts blew a car into a bank. Police were also called to help secure a trawler in Wellington that broke loose from its moorings in high seas.

Lightning forces families from homes, August 13, 2007 By Beck Vass Susan Takerei says a power surge burned out the meter box in her home and damaged electrical appliances. Photo / Paul Estcourt A bolt of lightning struck a tree in South Auckland yesterday, knocking a woman off her feet, shattering windows and damaging electrical appliances. The force of the strike was so loud residents feared a plane had crashed or that a P lab had exploded. But what they heard was lightning striking a tree, causing thousands of dollars of damage in Oakmont Place, Wattle Downs. The lighting bolt came during heavy rain at 10.30am, sending a shard of wood through a window near where an 18-month old toddler was playing. Several windows exploded and a power surge occurred in three households - which may need to replace all their electrical appliances - as the lightning struck just metres from where Kellie Wooding was standing.

Weather causes havoc across district , Ashburton Guardian August 13 2007 By Sue Newman and Erin Bishop Up to 1000 power consumers across the Ashburton District found themselves blacked out on Satur- day after high winds downed lines and felled trees. Lines supervisor Ken Stirling described the power outages as one of the biggest to hit the district for some time.“It’s certainly one of the worst we’ve had for a while in terms of wind damage,” he said.Worst affected areas were Alford Forest, Staveley, Mt Somers, Anama and the Rangitata Gorge.

Mayfield firefighters were dodging darkness to clear Anama Station Road on Saturday night after high winds brought down trees and power lines Photo Erin Bishop 120807-EB-0002

“One of the linesmen said a customer told him it was the strongest wind they’d had for many years,” Mr Stirling said.While most consumers had power restored by Saturday night, lines crews were still making final connections late Sunday afternoon. The power outages were caused both by poles toppling in the wind and trees falling across lines.Strong winds hit Southland, Otago and Canterbury with Middlemarch recording a gust of 154km/h late morning. Wanaka residents were without power for several hours, forcing skifields to close.The Rimutaka Hill Road, between Wellington and Wairarapa, was closed mid-afternoon after an earlier weather-related crash on the Upper Hutt side was followed by reports of trucks getting blown about by strong and unpredictable gusts.A front with heavy rain and high winds moving north over the South Is- land and on to the North Island caused the problems.Fiordland has received 260mm of rain in 24 hours.

Disappearing frosts a concern for agriculture , By MATT CALMAN - The Dominion Post | 13 August 2007 KIRK HARGREAVES/The Press FAREWELL FROSTS: Climate scientists are warning that frosts could virtually be a thing of the past in parts of the North Island by the end of the next century.

Frosts in most of the North Island will be virtually "unknown" by the end of the century, a leading climate scientist says. A decline in frosts was one of the most noticeable signs of climate change and could pose problems for agriculture, said Niwa scientist Jim Renwick. "(Frost) tells things like fruit trees that they need to get ready to bud in the spring. They need to have winter chilling to do their whole life cycle properly, and a lot of animal and plant pests die off in winter because they get frosted. "If that doesn't happen then that makes it a lot easier for a lot of pests - especially subtropical species - to survive in New Zealand."

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Since the 1950s there has been an average of three fewer frost days per decade. In South Island areas and at higher elevations the decline has been closer to 10 to 15 days per decade. A decline of three days in 10 years did not sound much, but if the rate of climate change continued it would become more significant, Dr Renwick said. When he gave public talks, older people told him they could remember icy winters, but their children and grandchildren did not have the same experiences.

Driver dies in Albury snow , By BETHANY MARETT - The Timaru Herald | Tuesday, 14 August 2007 Albury copped the brunt of a blast of wintry weather yesterday that was a factor in a fatal accident there. Motorists were last night warned to take special care on the Mackenzie Country roads after snow was a factor in a fatal accident near Albury on State Highway 8. Yesterday's wintry blast saw several snow flurries in the Mackenzie Country and a drop in temperature in Timaru. Mid-afternoon Albury copped a solid blast that left about a 10cm coating settled on the ground. At 9pm last night the snow had stopped falling in Albury but it was still falling lightly in Fairlie. A sprinkling of snow in Tekapo and Fairlie yesterday morning soon vanished after a burst of sunshine. The snowy weather was forecast to move on during the night but the Metservice warned motorists to take care as roads will be icy following the sub-zero temperatures.

SNOW FUN: Albury resident Aaron Upston- Hooper made the most of yesterday's snowfall by skiing with his Newfoundland dog Max.

"Some severe frosts, freezing fogs and black ice are likely to produce hazardous driving conditions, especially in central parts of the South Island," MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said. However, the icy conditions are only expected to last a few days. "After Wednesday a mild northeasterly flow is expected to flush away the cold stagnant pools of air." The wintry conditions may have contributed to the death of a 67-year-old Cave motorist yesterday when the Toyota Hilux 4WD he was driving left the road near Albury. The man was travelling towards Cave on State Highway 8 when the accident occurred about 3pm. The cold blast ripped through Ota- go and Southland, closing some schools. However the cold snap proved a bonus for skifields with a fresh dumping of snow and capacity crowds. Treble Cone received between 65 to 75cm of snow on Saturday, the Remarkables a total of 65cm, Cardrona Ski Area had 40cm and Coronet Peak received 25cm to 30cm during the weekend. Winter chill returns to south By SOPHIE SPEER - The Southland Times | Tuesday, 14 Au- gust 2007 The respite from the wintry weather has broken, with icy conditions and some snow throughout Southland and Central Otago yesterday. About 10cm of snow fell at Ohai and the hills surrounding Nightcaps were caked in thick snow, while flurries fell at Athol and Winton yesterday. The hills around Waikaka also received a dusting of snow. A heavy frost meant a day off school for some Southland children yesterday. Several school bus runs were cancelled at Tuatapere and around the Western Southland area yesterday as road conditions proved treacherous. Invercargill awoke to a 6degC ground frost and an airtemperature of just 2degC yesterday morning BARRY HARCOURT/Southland Times SNOWBLIND: Sheep found food hard to come by at Ohai yesterday after about 10cm of snow fell. Win- try weather has returned to Southland and Central Otago and the frosty conditions are expected to continue for the next few days.

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MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said residents could expect another cold frost this morning. Wanaka and Gore experienced a 4degC frost yesterday morning, while the temperature in Queenstown was balancing on freezing at 8am yesterday. "Some severe frosts, freezing fogs and black ice are likely to produce hazardous driving conditions especially in central parts of the South Island on Tuesday and Wednesday morning." Mr McDavitt cautioned drivers on roads in the south, saying any wet roads would freeze and be treacherous. The cold weather has provided skifields with a fresh dumping of snow and capacity crowds. Treble Cone received between 65 and 75cm of snow on Saturday, the Re- markables a total of 65cm, Cardrona Ski Area 40cm and Coronet Peak 25cm to 30cm during the weekend. 45S Weather Services forecaster Andy Fraser said the cold snap was normal for this time of year. "It's still winter, so it's not out of the normal range of weather."

Toxic dust from Australia , 15 Aug 2007. An Australian scientist has made a surprising discovery in the South Island's glaciers - heavy metals that have blown here from Australia. For decades researchers have been tracking harmless clouds of dust that has ended up here from across the ditch. But they did not expect it to contain toxic material. This red dust has been carried by the wind from the Australian outback to the South Island's pristine fox glacier - and it has brought a whole lot of other nasties with it too. ‘The dust samples transported to New Zealand are highly enriched in a number of heavy metals that are commonly associated with industrial processes’, Dr Samuel Marx says. They are metals like copper, nickel and lead that belch out of industrial plants and factories along Australia’s east coast before attaching themselves to dust particles that blow across the Tasman. ‘What we don't know at this stage is how much of these pollutants are being incorporated into the environment and that really controls what affect they're likely to be having’, says Dr Marx. Smoke from Australian bush fires provides a graphic illustration of what the prevailing winds can bring to our shores when the westerly picks up. It's the same wind that is blowing the dust and metals here and while scientists aren't surprised, they say it highlights another threat to New Zealand’s image. NIWA is considering how to more closely monitor the pollutants to see what long term affects they may have on the environment.

Tech hotspot fires up supercomputer Thursday August 16, 2007 By Peter Griffin

An IBM Blue Gene/L chip - New Zealand's gruntiest computer has 4000 of them. "You don't buy these things, they get offered to a se- lect few," says the University of Canterbury's Professor Tim David, who is in charge of New Zealand's most power- ful computer. It's hard to talk over the roar of cooling fans in the air-conditioned room that holds the "Blue Fern" supercomputer. In obtaining the 4000-processor computer, the university joins a group of 25 academic institutions with that level of computing power, including Harvard and MIT. It might appear to be overkill then for a smaller institution like the University Canterbury to have the only one of its type in Australasia. But that underestimates the

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ambition of the institution, which is a hotspot for technology research and development. Canterbury already has a P-series IBM supercomputer. Professor David's hope is that the two su- percomputers will be able to be used to simultaneously work on the same research projects. The types of tasks Blue Fern will tackle include one for Professor Andy Sturman of the Centre for Atmospheric Research. He has been measuring wind flows over the South Island to provide data to companies to build wind farms. Steve George, from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Can- terbury, has been modelling weather patterns - essential to understanding climate change.

Upper North Island hit by storm, August 17, 2007 By Tony Gee and Edward Gay Floods have been lapping Northland roads. Photo / Paul Estcourt Another storm brought down trees and caused flooding in the north of the North Island last night. The wind and rain caused minor flooding in Whangarei and some tree branches were down in some parts of Auckland. Households in western Bay of Plenty were left without power this morning while three homes were flooded overnight in Stanmore Bay, north of Auckland. Powerlines were knocked down in Massey, west Auckland, and Milford on the North Shore and firefighters helped residents with leaky roofs. In Wellington, police said flooding on roads and reduced visibility was causing problems for morning commuters. Kaeo, ravaged by floods in March and again last month, escaped another inundation although it had 77.5mm of rain in 12 hours to late yesterday. Northland Regional Council hydrologist Dale Hansen said 14mm an hour was falling on the town at one stage, similar to Ohaeawai, near Kaikohe, which had 72mm in the same period. Kerikeri's western hills had 82.5mm, and Puhipuhi north of Whan- garei recorded 70mm. Whangarei got 45mm and Kaitaia 38.5mm. on the west coast, Opononi recorded 23mm.

Scientists address climate change at marine conference Monday, 20 August 2007, Press Release: University of Waikato As climate change dominates conversations all over the world, top scientists will gather at the University of Waikato to discuss the impacts the phenomenon on marine systems at the Annual New Zealand Marine Sciences Society Conference, 29 -31 August. 'The worm snail that ate the reef' will be among the 180 presentations featured at the conference, alongside 'A cocktail of urban influx in estuaries: Hangovers for biota?' and 'I get around: Dispersal by macroalgae', to name a few. This year the conference will host six plenary speakers, including the Minister for Climate Change, the Hon. David Parker. The plenary speakers will all draw on their expertise to discuss how marine systems might respond to climatic fluctua- tions in response to recent scientific reports documenting likely increases in global temperatures. Dr Jim Renwick, Chief Climate Scientist at NIWA, will speak about the role of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and discuss some of the key messages in its recent Assessment Report. Dr Renwick leads a major research programme on climate variability and change, and is interested in Southern Hemisphere climate variability and impacts of climate on the New Zealand environment. Also from NIWA is Dr Simon Thrush, a coastal ecosystems science lead- er. Dr Thrush will address the impacts of climate change on coastal soft sediment ecosystems. Dr Thrush will also demonstrate how Antarc- tica is such an important region for understanding ecological re- sponses to climate change, drawing on his visits to the Ross Sea, where he investigated the biodiversity of the Antarctic marine environment. Global warming sceptic Associate Professor Chris de Freitas from the University of Auckland School of Geography, Geology and Environmental Science and marine ecologist Professor David Schiel from the Univer- sity of Canterbury will also speak. Visit: nzmss.rsnz.org/ conference.html Winemakers due south as climate changes,Saturday August 25, 2007 Climate change is allowing winemakers to grow grape cultivars further south and at higher altitudes. Photo / Babiche Martens Climate change will enable New Zealand winemakers to grow grape cultivars further south and at higher altitudes than their existing ranges, says a senior climate scientist.

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Wine styles likely to "migrate" south include sauvignon blanc - now grown in the Wairarapa and Marlborough - which is likely to be grown in Canterbury in 20 or 30 years, said Dr Jim Salinger of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa). "The warming will allow the spread of the latitude range of wine styles further south, with red wines becoming more important in the east of the North island," he said in a presentation to the annual Romeo Bragato conference at Auckland yesterday. But in the northern wine-grape regions a key issue will be whether, with the warming, there will be changes in rainfall and winter chilling. "Should growing season rainfall increase, particularly in the autumn then there could be negative impacts on grape quality," said Dr Salinger. Over the same period, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and franc cultivars grown in the Auckland region are likely to give way to types such as grenache and carignane. In the Gisborne area, chardonnay was likely to be replaced by shiraz, grenache and zindafel, while chardonnay and merlot were likely to be replaced by shiraz and malbec in Hawke's Bay. Wairarapa's pinot noir could be supplanted by merlot, malbec and cabernet franc grapes while cabernet sauvignon and merlot were likely to replace sauvignon blanc in Marlborough. In Canterbury, sauvignon blanc could replace chardonnay, while the pinot noir very suited to both Canter- bury and Otago, could spread out to higher altitude sites in these regions. Dr Salinger said climate change was an important issue for wine-grape growers, because vineyards have a life of about 20-30 years. In viticultural areas, a warming of 0.1-degC to 1.4degC was likely with stronger westerly winds and lower rainfalls in eastern areas. Most wine-growing areas would experience a drop in rainfall, and by the 2030s there would be 120 more "degree days" - a measure of heat used by growers. There would be a lot fewer frosts with a longer frost-free season in the South Island and the lower North Island. The annual number of frosts in these areas was likely to drop by 10.

Automatic MetService weather-watcher joins crewmates 5:00AM Thursday August 30, 2007 The MetService has begun minute-by-minute monitoring of weather around coastal New Zealand by mounting an automatic station on a ship. Previously, forecasters relied on calls by sailors every 12 hours to tell them about the conditions. The first station has been fitted on to the Spirit of Competition, sailed by Pacifica Shipping between Wellington and Lyttelton. Measuring wind, temperature and barometric conditions, the stations, adapted from MetService's land-based ones, send the information collected back through Vodafone's cellular link. MetService marine observations manager Julie Fletcher said the aim was to put the stations onto more ships and expand the area covered.

Boaties get new weather service The Nelson Mail | Saturday, 1 September 2007 Nelson boaties now have access to up-to-the-minute weather information through new forecasting technology. The Nelson Volunteer Coastguard flicked the switch on the NowCasting VHF radio-based weather reporting system on Thursday. Coastguard New Zealand central region manager Phil Pollero said the Nelson region's service was introduced as part of the national organisation's plan to install NowCasting in sites nationwide. The $30,000 system installed in Nelson provides the latest weather conditions at certain locations within the VHF radio coverage area. It works by obtaining data from five weather sites op- erated by the Coastguard and MetService plus wind and wave data from the Port Nelson outer leading beacon. There are weather sites at Farewell Spit, Stephens Island and the newly installed north cardinal mark in Tasman Bay. Mr Pollero said weather data collected from these sites is then sent automat- ically in digitised form to the Mt Campbell broadcast site in the Arthur Ranges, and "turned into words" that are fed immediately through the VHF radio network. "The information is continually updated so that what you hear on the VHF radio is up-to-the- minute data, which provides excellent information for sound decision-making for those planning to put to sea," Mr Pollero said. The service can be used on VHF channel 22.

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NowCasting was first introduced into the Hauraki Gulf by Auckland Coastguard about 20 years ago. The service was introduced last year into the Wellington-Cook Strait area providing coverage of Wellington Harbour, Cook Strait, Marlborough Sounds and west coast of the North Island to Foxton.

Polar ice breaks loose in ocean By RHONDA MARKBY - The Timaru Herald | Tuesday, 4 September 2007 Icebergs are on the move again, but the chances of seeing them anywhere near the New Zealand coast this summer doesn't look promising.

JOHN BISSET/Timaru Herald SEASONAL VISITORS?: Joint venture manager Koji Matsudate with photos of the icebergs the Tomi Maru 87's crew saw east of Bounty Island last week.

Back in its home port of Timaru yesterday, it wasn't just a catch of Southern Blue Whiting the Tomi Maru 87 had on board. The crew also had photos of four icebergs spotted east of Bounty Island, 180 nautical miles closer to New Zealand than the icebergs they saw near Campbell Island this time last year. But any thoughts of the icebergs drifting close enough to New Zealand for sightseeing flights this summer, were soon stymied by a chat to Niwa oceanographer Mike Williams. Dr Williams wasn't surprised to hear of the Tomi Maru's sightings, as in recent weeks the Mari- time Operations Centre has put out three warnings of icebergs in the general area of where the Timaru vessel had been fishing. Looking at the icebergs' drift pattern since mid August, Dr Wil- liams suspects they will continue to drift due east, not even making it to anywhere near the Chatham Islands Chaos for drivers but skiers rejoice The Press | Tuesday, 4 September 2007

JOHN KEAST/The Press HERE IT COMES: Snow falls in Geraldine this morning as Canterbury braces for a wintery blast.

Snow is making driving treacherous on Mid-Canterbury roads, but skifields in the area are rejoic- ing after 15cm of snow fell on Mount Hutt today.

Polar blast brings icy start to spring Wednesday September 05, 2007, NZ Herald, By Jarrod Booker

Snow down to low levels made life miserable for new lambs in Canterbury. Photo / Simon Baker Spring may have sprung, but try telling that to South Islanders stung by a polar blast that brought snow and freezing temperatures yesterday. Snow to low levels in Canterbury, including flurries in Christchurch, closed schools and made life miserable for newborn lambs on farms in higher altitudes.

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At 10am, it was 2.2C in the Garden City and 0.5C at Darfield, 35km further west. However, skifields were celebrating big dumps that will provide a much-needed boost to their season after weeks of warmer weather. Canterbury's Mt Hutt Skifield received more than 15cm of fresh snow yesterday, while in the Queenstown area Coronet Peak and The Remarkables received about 25cm. The southerly weather system is expected to move up the North Island today, bringing rain, and some snow showers to the central ranges. In the mid-Canterbury town of Methven yesterday, the college and two primary schools were closed because of safety concerns. Mt Hutt College senior manager Eric Newham said the school's 500-plus students had arrived with snow falling. Retired couple Peter and Lois Moodie were yesterday helping with stock on their children's mid- Canterbury farms in more than 7cm of snow. Mr Moodie said lambs were being born on many farms in the area and he predicted some would not survive the cold snap. Mrs Moodie rescued two newborn lambs whose mother had died and was giving them shelter in her garage yesterday. "Hopefully we can find another mother for them, otherwise they will be pets," she said. The president of Mid-Canterbury Federated Farmers, Rupert Curd, said the polar blast was a concern, but farmers in the midst of lambing received good warning and were able to take precau- tions. "There will be minor losses, but only minor." MetService forecaster Oliver Druce said "special circumstances" of cold air meeting a layer of warm air created the snowfalls. Otago and Southland also received snow showers.

Winter makes a late foray into SC By BETHANY MARETT - The Timaru Herald | Wednesday, 5 September 2007

By John Bisset SPRING COATING: Kevin Johnston and George Harvey, with dog Tip, surveying the snow near Geraldine yesterday morning.

Yesterday was the first day of lambing for Fairlie farmer Mark Adams but he was not caught out by the snow. "The MetService needs to be congratulated because they got it right and gave us plenty of warning." Mr Adams said on top of the hills there would have been about three of four inches of snow but it was virtually gone by the evening. The wintry weather did, however, cause the South Canterbury police to be concerned for the safety of a 48-year-old Waimate woman who went missing from a farm on Jackson Bush Road about 9pm on Monday.

Mid Canterbury reminded it's still winter, September 5 2007

By Susan Sandys, Ashburton Guardian , Photo Andie Bennett 040907-AB-0078

It was enough snow to make the town pretty, and enough to send school kids home for the day, but not enough to cause any major problems. That’s good news for Methven people who yesterday morning watched large flakes of snow fall from around 8.30am to 11.30am. About three centimetres settled on the ground, but falling snow turned to rain and by the end of the day there was hardly any left on the ground. MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said yesterday afternoon that last night would be “not a nice night” with southwesterlies to turn southerly, with cold winds, showery conditions, and probably snow at times. Methven farmer Richard Maw is in the middle of lambing 1000 ewes and said about 50 lambed yesterday, but because they were “all hunkered down behind the fence” no lambs had been lost. “All the ewes are out feeding now, they all think the bad weather is over, they will all run back into the shelter once it comes back,” he said yesterday afternoon. Celsias climate change website ranked third in world 5 September 2007, Scoop News

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Wellington-based Celsias (www.celsias.com) is now ranked third among dozens of climate change websites worldwide, according to “Authority” ranking data on Technora- ti.com, a leading website ranking company. According to the Technorati website: “Authority is the number of blogs linking to a website in the last six months, and the higher the number, the more Authority the blog has.” Technorati has assigned Celsias an overall Authority ranking of 5,389 from over 55 million websites it moni- tors. Visitors from over 120 countries come to Celsias to read climate change articles written by more than thirty writers from New Zealand, Australia, US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, India and China. Nick Lewis, Celsias’ CEO, says, “We are now receiving be-

tween five and ten requests per day to write for Celsias, so we appear to have become one of the leading ‘go to’ sites on climate change.”

Hickey back as TV One weatherman Monday September 17, 2007, NZ Herald and NZPA

Karen Olsen and Jim Hickey last year. Photo / Herald on Sunday

The familiar face of weather presenter Jim Hickey will soon be regularly gracing TV One screens as he returns to his former role in the nightly forecast on the 6pm news. Hickey, who has a BA in geography, majoring in climatology, was TVNZ's senior weatherman from 1988 to 2003. He has also made television programmes Jim's Car Show and A Flying Visit, as well as the documen- taries How's the Weather Jim? and The Real Middle Earth. TVNZ announced today that Hickey, along with meteorologist Karen Olsen, are to form the new One News weather team. The pair will report from the field as well as present the forecast. One News editor Paul Patrick said viewers would see a different presentation style. "New Zealanders tell us that they place a high value on authoritative weather coverage, and climate change is one of the biggest news issues of our time. "Karen and Jim have the skills and experience to interpret this specialist field, and they share a strong practical understanding of how the weather affects New Zealand's geographically diverse communities," Patrick said. Olsen has been part of the One News weather team since 1994, joining TVNZ after a career with the MetService.

CAVE RESCUE - Adventure boss backs decision to enter caves 22.09.2007 By Imran Ali, Northern Advocate An outdoor adventure company has defended its decision to guide a group of students into the Wai- pu Caves during bad weather. A dramatic search and rescue operation was launched on Thursday afternoon after six teenagers from Auckland were trapped in the flooded cave. They had to dive underwater in darkness and swim about three metres before being plucked to safety by rescuers. Cave rescuers await the students' safe return. Picture/John Stone

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Waipu-based Peak Adventures director Ian Fox said he felt comfortable with his staff taking the students into the caves, as heavy rain forecast for the Far North was not predicted for Whanga- rei. "You can't be 100 percent reliant on weather reports and these are statistics from the Met- Service. Otherwise, people won't do anything. We had a downpour on the hill where the cave is and it just flowed inside through lots of entry points," he said.

Hail storm hits Auckland, Waikato Tuesday September 25, 2007, By Alanah May Eriksen , New Zealand Herald

Unseasonal weather hits Auckland's North Shore. Photo / Suresh Patel Severe thunderstorms hit the Auck- land, Waikato and Waitomo areas last night, leaving behind a carpet of hail. The storms started on Auck- land's North Shore at about 4pm and had eased by about 5.30pm before travelling northwest of Hamilton. About 30mm of rain fell, along with hail 20mm in diameter, and wind reached gusts of 110km/h. MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt said there might have been about 450 strikes of lightning but most were from cloud to cloud, with about 10 hitting the ground.

Mother Nature's treat for shore eyes By LAUREN OWENS , Bay of Plenty Times 26.09.2007

PICTURE: PHIL HOWARD: The waterspout as captured from an Oceanview Rd verandah Hundreds of residents were yesterday morning greeted by this impressive sight. The phenomenon known as a waterspout travelled along the shoreline of the main Mount beach shortly after 7am and was seen an hour later from an Ohauiti house as it made its way towards Papamoa. Bob Lake, MetService forecaster, said waterspouts were not uncommon and could be po- tentially dangerous . Choppers out in force to protect grapes By DAVE WILLIAMS - The Marl- borough Express | Thursday, 27 September 2007

SCOTT HAMMOND/The Marlborough Express FROST FLIERS: Helicopters at Omaka spent a night of battling frost that threatened some of Marl- borough's grape crop. It was a long and frosty night for Marlborough growers as they were put on alert before midnight and were fighting off their first decent frost of spring this morning. Cold southerlies brought sub zero temperatures and saw helicopters, frost pots, wind machines and irrigators battling the temperatures, in what appears at this stage to be a successful effort to save the early growth of chardonnay and pinot noir grapes. Meanwhile, Rapaura Kiwi Cherries' Terry Sowman said he "could be on the verge of a 10 percent loss, but we won't know for a while yet". He recorded a minus 1.8 degree frost overnight, but it needed to drop to about minus 2.2 degrees before cherries started to see any significant damage.

International Observing Network Takes Pulse of World Oceans

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European Union, 23 countries contribute instruments to global Argo array By Cheryl Pellerin, USINFO Staff Writer, 28 September 2007 Washington -- A small but sturdy ocean-going vessel -- the New Zealand National Institute of Wa- ter and Atmospheric Research's Kaharoa -- will sail from Wellington October 3, carrying 64 ocean- profiling floats that are headed for remote locations in the Antarctic Ocean. The floats will become part of Argo, an internationally funded global array of instruments that are placed in the world's oceans at strategic points about every 300 kilometers to measure temperature, salinity and circulation in the upper 2,000 meters of the sea. This voyage, as were Kaharoa's previous seven voyages, is a collaborative effort of the U.S. and New Zealand Argo pro- grams. Steve Piotrowicz, an oceanographer in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told USINFO that Argo "is the most significant in situ ocean observing system to date, and probably the most significant one in the history of oceanographic research." The battery-powered Argo floats -- about 130 centimeters long, plus a 70-centimeter antenna -- do not just drift around the ocean; they drift under the ocean, gathering data that represent the oceans' vital signs. When a float first is placed in the sea, Dean Roemmich, professor of oceanography at Scripps in San Diego, told USINFO, it dives to 1,000 meters, then begins rising to the surface by pumping fluid into an external bladder, taking about 70 readings of temperature and salinity as it ascends over several hours. When it reaches the surface, it transmits its first "profile" to a satellite, along with engineering data that tells the researchers the instrument is working properly. It then descends to 2,000 meters, drifts for about nine days, and rises again to col- lect and transmit another profile. A battery lasts four years or five years, and then the float blinks off, gone from the array. To sustain the array, 600 to 800 floats must be deployed around the world every year. More information about the Argo array is available on the Argo Information Centre Web site http://wo.jcommops.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Argo.

Meteorological Society of New Zealand Newsletter - September 2007 - Page 55

Meteorological Society of New Zealand Newsletter - September 2007 - Page 56

Meteorological Society of New Zealand Newsletter - September 2007 - Page 57

summer in December 2006! However, this warmth wasn't to continue. A trough and cool southerly change brought the first significant rain for a month overnight 2nd/3rd, as well as fresh snow to the previously bare ski-fields. From then on it became colder in the city with south or southwest flows, though these generally brought little rain. The coldest outbreaks were from the 7-9th and 21st-26th - significant snow fell to low levels in the south and about the main divide, but only some lighter falls dusted Banks Peninsu- la to quite low levels early on the 8th and again on the 25th, plus scattered sleet in and near the city and a dusting on the higher Port Hills on the latter occasion. While most of the month was dry, rainfall totals reached near normal after a wet day on the 29th. Thanks to an active low pressure system in the Tasman Sea and very moist northeast- erlies ahead of it, quite heavy falls resulted in some surface flooding in Christchurch. JULY High pressure to the south and east led to this month being generally cold and cloudy, apart from a mild spell towards the end. A spell of very cold southeasterlies from the 5th-7th brought snow to low levels in many parts of Canterbury, but only brief light flurries of snow and sleet were reported in and around Christchurch. After the weather cleared, there was a heavy frost on the morning of the 8th. Onshore flows, often with drizzly showers, were frequent for the next few weeks. There was another cold southerly outbreak on 21st/22nd bringing some hail and sleet, plus a light dusting of snow on the higher Port Hills. By contrast, after a heavy frost on the morning of the 23rd, the week from 23rd-28th, was much milder with westerly and northwesterly flows. Then a deep low pressure system crossed over during the last three days of the month. Christchurch and environs received a period of heavy rain overnight 29th/30th, but this eased on the 30th. (through persist- ing further south, with widespread flooding in South Canterbury and eastern Otago) AUGUST A variety of weather systems crossed over this month, but these generally didn't bring much precipitation to Christchurch. Very cold southerlies brought snow to low levels in parts of Canterbury on the 13th/14th, including rural areas just to the west of the city early on the 14th. After the weather cleared, there was a heavy frost on the morning of the 15th. By contrast, there were some spells of warmer weather when airflows tended west or northwest. Ben Tichborne

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Solution to last newsletters Sudoku puzzle and a tribute to AUGUST H AUER, JR. It contains the letters from his name: AUGSTHEJR.

Meteorological Society of New Zealand Newsletter - September 2007 - Page 59

WHAT IS THE MET SOCIETY?

The Society is a group of people from around New Zealand (and overseas) who like to share their fascination in weather and its antics. The Society was inaugurated at a meeting held in Wellington on 11 October 1979. The objects of the Society are to encourage an interest in the atmosphere, weather, and climate, particularly as related to the New Zealand region.

What does the Society provide? Access to a lively committee who are specially elected watchdogs for any contentious issue involving weather or climate. For members in the main centres: An e-group for communications plus organised meetings throughout the year on weather and climate topics. A quarterly newsletter full of member’s news and views plus descriptions of recent significant weather. An annual professional journal Weather and Climate, providing members access to the latest peer-reviewed thinking in the profession of meteorology. It is accepted internationally as the journal that gives recognition of the value of meteorological and climatological work done in New Zea- land. It contains papers of interest to both professional and general readers. It also includes book reviews and explanations of the unusual. Members are invited to send in their own descriptions or photos. An annual conference. A web site http://metsoc.rsnz.org/

Who are the Society members? We are a mix of professionals and non-professionals. We come from a broad range of backgrounds, including: meteorologists, weather watchers and storm chasers Climatologists and environmentalists, Geographers and geophysicists, Atmospheric scientists, physicists and chemists hydrologists and ecologists sailors and divers trampers and climbers Aviators, flyers and glider pilots agriculturists and aquaculturists astronomers and cloud-admirers economists and engineers professional weather forecasters

Meteorological Society of New Zealand Newsletter - September 2007 - Page 60

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM

Anyone with an interest in the atmosphere, weather and climate of New Zea- land may join us. We welcome applications from non-professionals and from those in disciplines related to the study of the atmosphere (oceanography, hydrology, etc.).

A brief description of the Society and a list of services are outlined on the other side of this page. If you wish to apply for membership, please complete the form below.

I wish to apply for membership of the Meteorological So-

1. Name and Address (include email):

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4. Payment (annual): Ordinary members ...... $30.00* Institutional members ...... $90.00* Overseas posting surcharge ...... $15.00* Subscriptions are due on 1 August. * Rates may change at AGM. Our financial year is from 1 August to 31 July.

5. Signature: ______Date:______6. Please return this form, and a cheque (made out to Meteorological Soci- ety of N.Z.) to The Secretary Meteorological Society of New Zealand P.O. Box 6523, Marion Square, Wellington 6141 New Zealand