Climate summary for 2005

[MotherBear]

You can read about last year's weather here if you're interested in that sort of thing. Well, Sunday is a bit of a quiet day and you might be stuck for something to do. :icon_biggrin:

[nattydread]

very interesting site MB..
thanks for that

[Pulsarblu]

Thanks MotherBear, another perspective about weather reporting. More descriptive than the normal boring report...."Today, thunder storm for most part of the day, high at 25, low at 19..blahblahblah..."

pulsarblu

[MotherBear]

What?.... Already? Taffy, get the fire on and let me know if it works OK.


Cold snap could bring hail and snow
28 February 2006

New Zealanders enjoying basking in summer weather should brace themselves ? hail and snow are on the cards this week as autumn makes its presence felt. MetService meteorologists are forecasting that the next cold front arriving over the South Island tomorrow will be cold enough to bring hail to the east and some snow to hills in the south.

" March is starting with an early taste of autumn," MetService spokesman Bob McDavitt said.

"The summer anticyclones that have dominated our February weather are being replaced by a few days of southerly conditions," he said. "Westport is now short of water so will welcome the rain forecast for Wednesday, but this will be followed by more dry weather later in the week."

The first cold southerlies of March are forecast to reach the North Island on Thursday. Gales are predicted between Banks Peninsula and Wairarapa, building heavy swells on Friday night and Saturday, especially through Cook Strait.

High tides are extreme this week so the combined conditions of wind, sea and swell may bring problems to boaties, challenges to surfers, and hazardous conditions to drivers on coastal roads, Mr McDavitt said. February wasn't all fine and dry, Mr McDavitt said. February 10 had intense rain with flash-flooding closing roads in Matata, Rotoma, Levin and Lower Hutt, and a cold front in the last week of February brought some snow to the southern hills.

[Pulsarblu]

How long did this summer lasts? My impression was that it did not last for more than 2 months...?

pulsarblu

This summer barely got started, had some belting days, but very broken up by some very cloudy days with storms and winds. Still, even when the weather was bad it was still good enough for shorts and t-shirts!

[MotherBear]

Not the same everywhere, by the seem of it.

Mainland thirsty for heavy rain
28 February 2006
By PAUL GORMAN, SANDRA COX and JOHN KEAST

Heavy rain is needed across the South Island to replenish dipping hydro lakes, save a West Coast town from running out of water, and help a parched Mid-Canterbury. New Zealand has slipped closer to a possible severe winter electricity shortage, with national hydro storage levels now lower than at the same time in 1992. Meridian Energy says it is watching the situation with concern. Electricity industry consultant Bryan Leyland believes without heavy alpine rain in the next month the chance of a winter power crisis is quite high.

In Westport yesterday, residents rushed to buy bottled water after the town's reservoirs dropped to 17 per cent amid predictions they could run dry soon. Some Mid-Canterbury residents are getting water trucked into their properties as their bores run dry. Leyland said yesterday that the high spot price of electricity was evidence the country was already heading for a crisis.

"It is looking seriously risky. Three months ago we said it wasn't looking good. Three months have passed and the chance of getting relief by rain is much less than then," he said.

More electricity has been sent south across the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) inter-island link, which includes the cables under Cook Strait, in the past week than has been sent north. Storage levels in the first few months of 1992 averaged around 1900 to 2000 gigawatt hours (GWh), but fell steadily from April, leading to power cuts and drastic emergency measures to save power in May and June. Yesterday, storage dropped below the level on the same day in 1992, of about 2250 GWh.

Meridian spokesman Alan Seay said Lake Pukaki only had 47% of its average amount of stored energy yesterday while Lake Tekapo had about 66%. "They're a long way below where they should be. Our level of concern is rising, (but) there's still some time to go yet."

South Island spot prices rocketed to around $250 per megawatt hour (MWh) on Sunday during routine maintenance on the HVDC link. In Westport the town's reservoirs, which serve about 5000 residents, continue to drop. Buller District Council operations manager Steve Griffin said pumping from an untapped branch of the supply creek was failing to keep up with demand. Water was being pumped at 3000 cubic metres a day, Griffin said. The town uses about 5000 cubic metres a day.

A Christchurch water consultant was examining pumping options, Griffin said. Plans to ration water and to pump untreated water had been dropped as too technically difficult. Griffin said most people were heeding conservation measures. Mysteriously, three times as much water was used on Saturday night as during the day ? the reservoir dropping 100mm overnight.

"That suggests to me there is something quite clandestine going on or something strange," Griffin said. Griffin said a decent rainfall would come. "It's a matter of how long we can survive until it does get here," he said.

Westport residents have been clamouring for bottled water at the town's two supermarkets. Fresh Choice Westport grocery manager Mathew McManus said the supermarket had ordered 420 four-litre bottles for today. This time last year it had ordered only 5% of that. Westport's largest commercial mains water user, Miners Brewery Ltd, was battling, managing director Alan Absalom said. The company was not brewing this week and had postponed international orders. Buller Mayor Martin Sawyers said the Westport swimming pool had been closed and he encouraged major water users to truck water.

MetService forecaster Peter Little said other than small rainfalls the next week would be dry.

[MotherBear]

For those in NZ who may be upset to think their summer has come to an abrupt end...

Britain Still Shivering In Arctic Blast
Wednesday March 1, 07:26 AM

Britain will mark the first day of spring by remaining in the grip of Arctic weather. The conditions, which brought a deluge of snow to northern parts of Scotland and eastern England on Tuesday, are set to last for the rest of the week. The weather worsened overnight, with heavy snow in Northern Ireland, Wales and south west England.Temperatures across England and Wales will hover around 3C-5C but in snow-covered areas they are unlikely to climb above freezing.

Paul Mott, of the PA WeatherCentre, said: "It will become less windy, which should help to make it feel less cold but there will be further snow showers over the next few days."

The Highways Agency is warning drivers to slow down and take extra care. Gritters were out in force for the second night ensuring all motorways and major roads were treated. Blizzards have already caused disruption with roads and schools forced to close.

Worst-hit was northern Scotland, with high winds and blizzards causing most disruption in the Cairngorms and on the Aberdeenshire coast. A total of 109 schools in Aberdeenshire were closed or partially closed, while Highland Council closed nine schools.

In Yorkshire, sporadic snowfalls in the Scarborough and Whitby areas brought dangerous conditions to some routes.

With much of the country in the grip of freezing weather, bookies have slashed the odds on Britain experiencing a white Easter.