Wild weather again

[Glenda]

It's happening again - torrential rain and flooding, but with gale force winds this time.

Had a restless night with the rain and howling wind. Went shopping at 8.30am this morning and the roads were already starting to flood. The garden is getting a bashing and I am going to have to check up on 'drainage management' as large ditches have appeared from nowhere and are washing soil and plants onto the road. The road at the bottom of the driveway is flooded and people further downhill are trying to stop the flow going into their garden and house. It is quite scary and we are surprised we still have electricity.

Wild weather hitting top of North Island
By MICHAEL FIELD - Fairfax Media | Tuesday, 10 July 2007

As a Tasman Sea storm swept across Northland, weather forecasters said it could be extremely hazardous to be on the roads or out in boats. They said the storm had the potential to be dangerous and very damaging.

At least one road in Northland was under about 60cm of water but was still negotiable with care.

Whangarei District Council said Whareora Road on the way to the Whangarei heads was badly flooded and contractors were trying to clear the water.

Rain radar images this morning show Northland is already getting pounded and MetService says a low over the north Tasman Sea is continuing to deepen. It will bring heavy and even torrential rain to the top of the country.

In their current warning they say up to 250mm of rain could fall in parts of Northland over the next 24 hours, especially about the central and eastern hills.

Northern Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula are likely to receive between 100 and 150mm of rain from late this morning through to Wednesday afternoon.

As well as the rain, many of these areas should expect damaging easterly winds. Gusts of 120 km/h are likely in exposed areas from the Bay of Islands to the Auckland Harbour Bridge from this morning until Wednesday morning.

(From here: New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz)



House knocked off foundations in storm
12:18PM Tuesday July 10, 2007

A house was knocked off its foundations by a landslide in Northland as weather in the region worsened today. There are no reports of injuries in the incident in the Far North community of Totara North which pushed the house into a parked car.

The situation is also being closely monitored at the Kerikeri Mission Station - home to New Zealand's oldest building Kemp House. Stuart Park, Northland area manager of the NZ Historic Places Trust, said at this stage he was not planning to evacuate as they had to do in March but he was keeping in close contact with NIWA as water levels rise in the Kerikeri river. Staff and volunteers are on standby with a truck, packaging materials and sandbags.

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 said the centre was monitoring the situation in Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

MetService is predicting up to 250 millimetres of rain for the region before tomorrow morning - more than in the whole of an average July.

Civil Defence said farmers in low-lying areas should already have moved stock to higher ground and the boat owners should have checked their vessels are moored safely and securely.

New Zealand Post has cancelled some deliveries because of the worsening weather conditions which have already caused flooding on State Highways and other roads.

NZ Post spokesman Don Day said there would be restricted or no mail deliveries in most areas between Waipu and Kaitaia.

Severe weather forecaster Andy Downs said winds gusting up to 120 km/h could bring down trees, and motorists were urged to reconsider driving in the upper North Island and the Coromandel Peninsula. He says people thinking about travelling around areas from Orewa North up towards the Bay of Islands later this evening should not do so.

- ANGELA GREGORY, NEWSTALK ZB

From here: House knocked off foundations as storm lashes North (+photos) - 10 Jul 2007 - NZ Herald: New Zealand National news

[MotherBear]

Hope you're hanging on tight Glenda. All that swirling flood water brings back memories and I know the damage it can cause. Such a shame that your garden has taken a battering after all your efforts at making it look good.

As you haven't commented, I'm hoping that means that your new house has passed the 'leaky home' test.

[Dawn]

Bloody hell!! I'm staying here

[nickydwuk]

Originally Posted by Dawn

Bloody hell!! I'm staying here

Unless you live in Yorkshire with all the floods

[Glenda]

Yes, Mother Bear, the house passed the 'leaky home' test; we also kept our roof, though we saw the neighbour's tv aerial take off. Twas a bit worrying at times and we were without electricity for eight hours, so it was an evening of story-telling and charades. Many roads closed due to slips, and towns cut-off, so it is quite possible the kids won't be seeing the new Harry Potter film at the cinema today.

Gathered from the news that the weather has gone south to Auckland. Hope you guys down there had a reasonable night.

[missvee]

Poor Glenda, I was thinking of you when I saw the news about the wild weather. Then I thought about myself as I looked out the window and saw the ocean, the biggest I have seen the waves here. The weather has been really foul and I know it has been really bad up your end. Your poor garden, your poor house, at least it is waterproof, was the old one?
I am getting fed up with winter now, probably because I haven't has a summer, came here in April. Mind you think the winter here has been better than the summer in bBighty.
Hope the rain stops Glenda, soon and your poor garden can dry out. I kmow we need rain but this is ridiculous.
Poor Dawn, she really is coming at a bad time.
Vee

[Taffy]

We had some pretty harsh winds here last night. Could hear the TV arial banging around on the roof, but luckily we still have it. Storms certainly do grab the attention here!

[MotherBear]

Wetter west, drier east, windier all over - welcome to the future
5:00AM Wednesday July 11, 2007
By Mike Houlahan

New studies have confirmed that climate change is likely to bring New Zealand stronger winds, a wetter west and a drier east.

Niwa, the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research, is close to completing a series of climate change projections for the Ministry of the Environment. They are based on 17 different weather pattern models, and will replace projections from 2001, which were based on just six models.

Niwa principal climate scientist Jim Salinger said the research had found similar results to the previous scenarios.

"It's reassuring that the results are consistent, but there are also reasons for concern in that it is confirming that parts of New Zealand will get warmer but parts will also get wetter. [In] the bits that get drier, water will be a very important issue."

Scientists expect New Zealand's mean temperature will rise by an average 1.8C by the 2080s. By 2100, there will be up to 70 more days with temperatures over 30C, and frosty days will also drop, by five to 20 days in the North Island, and 10-30 days in the South Island.

Snowlines will rise and westerly winds will be 20 per cent stronger. Severe droughts are likely to occur up to four times as often, but heavy rain will be more frequent.

Niwa scientist Brett Mullan said the predicted range of temperature change matched the earlier research. In the 1990s Australian scientists had been forced to reverse previous climate change guidelines after studying new data, so it was pleasing New Zealand predictions were consistent.

"You don't really want to have to reverse what you were saying before, but there certainly were some differences from what we saw in the first assessment. I think we're on a firmer basis now."

East Coast farmers recovering from a severe drought can take some small comfort from the main difference between the old and new research: Dr Mullan said the east may not dry out as much as expected.

"However, there is still a wide range in terms of how much warming and whether it gets wetter in a particular season in the east of New Zealand or drier," Dr Mullan said.

Scientists could also not take into account the impact of any efforts to reduce climate change.

"If it does happen in a big way then the worst predictions won't come to pass after all," Dr Mullan said.

From here .

[MotherBear]

[MotherBear]

From here .