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RNZ News
2 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Weather: North Island rocked by thunderstorm, rain expected to set in
Much of the upper North Island have been rocked by thunderstorms overnight, with further thunderstorms forecasted. Over 3000 lightning strikes were recorded on Monday night, with MetService forecasting possible thunderstorms from Tuesday morning through to Wednesday. Kaipara Harbour was hit most, with Auckland also berated by loud bangs throughout the early morning hours on Monday. Residents in Helensville also reported hail. MetService's head of weather news Heather Keats said the loud thunder even gave her moment for pause. "It scared the bejesus out of me," she told Morning Report. "I don't think many people in Auckland would have slept through their alarm this morning, that's for sure. "There's quite a few of those little sparks up over Auckland at the moment. These squally thunderstorms are going to continue to kind of roll over the city like they did last night." Keats said the majority of lightning strikes were over central Kaipara Harbour, but a few were seen in the Auckland region too. Much of Auckland was hit by rolling thunderstorms this morning. Photo: RNZ / Jeremy Parkinson A couple of storms have bubbled up over the city but will slowly head out offshore and clear in Auckland and the Upper North Island throughout the morning, she said. "It's been a pretty unstable couple of days with one weather system kind of pushing in that westerly flow over the Upper North but we still have that biting southerly coming up from the south that's been responsible for the cold temperatures and the snow," she said. Keats advised morning commuters and parents dropping off their children at school to keep an eye on the rain radar, with strong winds and heavy rain expected until about 9am. MetService meteorologist Devlin Linden said cooler temperatures in the northern region overnight played a part. "Thunderstorms are all about buoyancy, so to speak - so the lift of air, and it creates kind of unstable conditions and that's when we start getting the lightning strikes and thunderstorms." Linden said the weather should ease over the morning. "At the moment it's just a morning risk as we head into the afternoon, and towards midday things should clear off and the risk is minimal from there on. He said hail had also been recorded, along with about 13mm of rain in parts of Auckland. MetService said there would not be "much of a breather" though before more wet weather "makes its way onto the north of the country come mid-Tuesday, and the rest of the country on Wednesday". Linden said the possibility of more thunder and lightning was possible. "From Tuesday morning and through Wednesday, we are expecting rain and cloud, especially across the upper North Island where there may be thunderstorms." He said the cold chill should ease up near the end of the week. "There will still be a touch more pre-season snow on the ski fields, but for most, it'll feel like winter's icy grip has eased." However, Linden said rain was also expected to spread across the North Island from Tuesday morning, with Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Taranaki bearing the brunt. 3-day outlook: ⛅️️ After a wet and freezing weekend, Monday and Tuesday morning is looking up for some, however we don't get much of a breather, with more wet weather set to makes its way onto the north of the country come mid-Tuesday, and the rest of the country on… Keats said snow that forced the closure of parts of State Highway 8 and State Highway 80 is starting to finally clear. Two sections of State Highway in the Mackenzie Country that were closed overnight Saturday - because of risk from snow and ice - but reopened Sunday morning. The New Zealand Transport Agency said the crews had been busy gritting and treating areas of ice on the roads. Keats said there are still a couple of road snowfall warnings in place for Lewis Pass and Porters Pass until about 9am this morning, "There's been quite a bit of rain that's pushed in over the Canterbury region overnight so Port Hills has had some snow again and today it'll be to about 700 metres but definitely easing as those showers clear out of the South Island today," she said. She said people would have noticed that today is a couple of degrees warmer than Sunday in places like Wellington and Dunedin. "It is starting to feel a little warmer and it will continue to warm back to average today and tomorrow and then even slightly above average for the North Island as we head into the week," she said. The coldest place in New Zealand this morning was Mt Hutt at -7 degrees Celsius, while Manapouri Airport in Te Anau recorded -4 degrees. Keats also said the big swells in Cook Strait will ease, but warned a new weather rain system could hit mid-week. "We've got a new big deep low pressure system out over the Tasman and that's actually starting to influence our weather from today heading into this week and that's going to see the next bout of rain the next large swells and we can expect pretty unsettled kind of week from about Wednesday." Snow making machines going full throttle at Coronet Peak on Thursday afternoon. Photo: Supplied Ski fields are counting down the days until they open after the wintry blast over the weekend. Major ski fields in the South Island are set to open later this week. Coronet Peak ski area manager Nigel Kerr was delighted by the fresh snow dump that was covering their buildings, decks and lifts. "I've just got out of a pit where we're digging down to find the building, which was about 50 centimetres of snow, quite well packed," he said. "It will get people excited because it means we're going to get away to a reasonably good start on time and that is a great thing in the winter industry." He was sleeping well, knowing that their 400 staff would be employed from day one. The start of the season would be driven by locals but the snow dump sent a message to ski bunnies across Aotearoa and across the Tasman that they could book with confidence, Kerr said. He was itching to get his skis on and hit the slopes over the weekend. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Weather: North Island rocked by thunderstorm; cold southerly freezes South Island
Much of the upper North Island have been rocked by thunderstorms overnight, with over 3000 lightning strikes recorded. Kaipara Harbour was hit most, with Auckland also berated by loud bangs throughout the early morning hours on Monday. Residents in Helensville also reported hail. MetService's head of weather news Heather Keats said the loud thunder even gave her moment for pause. "It scared the bejesus out of me," she told Morning Report. "I don't think many people in Auckland would have slept through their alarm this morning, that's for sure. "There's quite a few of those little sparks up over Auckland at the moment. These squally thunderstorms are going to continue to kind of roll over the city like they did last night." Keats said the majority of the lightning strikes was over central Kaipara Harbour, but a few were seen in the Auckland region too. Much of Auckland was hit by rolling thunderstorms this morning. Photo: RNZ / Jeremy Parkinson A couple of storms have bubbled up over the city but will slowly head out offshore and clear in Auckland and the Upper North Island throughout the morning, she said. "It's been a pretty unstable couple of days with one weather system kind of pushing in that westerly flow over the Upper North but we still have that biting southerly coming up from the south that's been responsible for the cold temperatures and the snow," she said. Keats advised morning commuters and parents dropping off their children at school to keep an eye on the rain radar, with strong winds and heavy rain expected until about 9am. Keats said snow that forced the closure of parts of State Highway 8 and State Highway 80 is starting to finally clear. Two sections of State Highway in the Mackenzie Country that were closed overnight Saturday - because of risk from snow and ice - but reopened Sunday morning. The New Zealand Transport Agency said the crews had been busy gritting and treating areas of ice on the roads. Keats said there are still a couple of road snowfall warnings in place for Lewis Pass and Porters Pass until about 9am this morning, "There's been quite a bit of rain that's pushed in over the Canterbury region overnight so Port Hills has had some snow again and today it'll be to about 700 metres but definitely easing as those showers clear out of the South Island today," she said. She said people would have noticed that today is a couple of degrees warmer than Sunday in places like Wellington and Dunedin. "It is starting to feel a little warmer and it will continue to warm back to average today and tomorrow and then even slightly above average for the North Island as we head into the week," she said. The coldest place in New Zealand this morning was Mt Hutt at -7 degrees Celsius, while Manapouri Airport in Te Anau recorded -4 degrees. Keats also said the big wells in Cook Strait will ease, but warned a new weather rain system could hit mid-week. "We've got a new big deep low pressure system out over the Tasman and that's actually starting to influence our weather from today heading into this week and that's going to see the next bout of rain the next large swells and we can expect pretty unsettled kind of week from about Wednesday." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
1News
6 days ago
- Climate
- 1News
Roof lifts near Wellington, river level peaks near Taupō
Civil Defence says the Tauranga-Taupō River north of Tūrangi has "likely now peaked" and evacuations of homes are unlikely. Earlier this morning the river had "risen significantly and is in flood with all the rain", prompting LandSAR teams to door-knock homes in the area to advise people to prepare to evacuate if needed. In a statement shortly before 9.30am, Civil Defence Taupō said the river had not breached its banks and the water level was expected to begin to fall. "There are around 70 properties in the immediate vicinity of the river although there is a high number of holiday homes. Only 20 properties were occupied for a total of around 35 people," it said. Images of the flooded Tauranga-Taupō River north of Tūrangi this morning. (Source: Civil Defence Taupō) ADVERTISEMENT The agency said there was "no further significant rain in the 24-hour forecast". "But as always people should check the forecast, exercise caution around rivers and stay out of flooded areas. Civil Defence said it still had centres set up to assist people at Tūrangi (Te Mataapuna Sports Centre) and Taupō (Great Lake Centre), which would be stood down as the day progressed. "In addition, with all the wind and rain, a bunch of roads in the northern part of the district have debris on them and crews are out clearing," it said. Emergency services responded to weather-related callouts throughout the North Island. (Source: 1News) About 70 properties were without power this morning on Unison's networks in Taupō and Rotorua, with additional reported outages under investigation. ADVERTISEMENT "Crews are working as safely and quickly as possible to restore power this morning after restoration were delayed overnight due to high winds," it said. 'Nervous times' for Taupō - mayor Civil Defence is knocking on the doors of 70 homes south of Taupō to warn residents a nearby river could burst. (Source: Breakfast) Taupō Mayor David Trewavas earlier told Breakfast there had been significant rainfall in the past 24 hours, but "no evacuations yet". 'There's been a lot of rain up there and it's pretty high. It is in flood, but [the river] hasn't breached its banks yet, but we'll have probably a bit more to update in a couple of hours," he said. Trewavas urged people to stay home today if they were able to. Images of the flooded Tauranga-Taupō River north of Tūrangi this morning. (Source: Civil Defence Taupō) ADVERTISEMENT "Just be really careful, there's a lot of flooding on the road, a lot of surface water." He warned residents to stay vigilant and check Civil Defence and Taupo District Council's Facebook pages for more information. MetService Yesterday, MetService issued a swathe of heavy rain warnings for parts of the country. Speaking to Breakfast, MetService meteorologist Heather Keats said overnight there had been a "very long line of thunderstorms" which began in Northland and travelled to Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taupō. MetService meteorologist Heather Keats. (Source: Breakfast) "As that long line progressed across the regions it dumped severe rain so we're talking 30mm between 10pm and 11pm in Whitianga. ADVERTISEMENT She said Taupō had about 90mm in the last 24 hours, and East Auckland has 25mm to 30mm in just one hour between 8pm and 9pm. "Not surprised to see this rain, fortunately though it is starting to ease back." Keats said most of the watches and warnings had expired today, but some strong wind watches would remain. Still in place was an orange wind warning for Wairarapa and Wellington, a strong wind watch for Hawke's Bay, a heavy swell warning for Kapiti-Porirua Coast, and a road snowfall warning for Milford Rd. "Everyone sort of has showers. The strong winds are still present this morning, but that low is moving out east so its going to clear significantly by this afternoon. But it's going to be replaced by a very cold southerly, so it's going to be very cold," she said. Keats said there would be "well below average temperatures" for many over the weekend. Cold coming, PM's press secretary scandal, science of sleep (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT Flooding in Auckland, wind in Wellington In Tamaki Makaurau, Fire and Emergency New Zealad (FENZ) said there had been 58 weather-related callouts from 6pm yesterday to 5am today across Northland, Auckland, Waikato and the Bay Of Plenty. They said these were mostly for downed trees and powerlines, and flooding in Auckland affecting roads and homes. 1News footage from the Auckland suburbs of Manurewa and Ellerslie showed emergency services responding to flooded roads, with some cordoned off. Emergency services close a road in Auckland's Manurewa following heavy weather. (Source: 1News) In Wellington, a FENZ spokesperson said strong gales lifted the roof of a house in the Wellington suburb of Newlands. ADVERTISEMENT
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
New Zealander weather alert: Know how the weekend will be, before it turns ugly next week
As New Zealanders prepare for the weekend of May 24-25, 2025, MetService forecasts predominantly fine weather across the country, offering a respite before more unsettled conditions arrive next week. MetService meteorologist Heather Keats reports that high-pressure systems will dominate Saturday's weather(May 24), leading to cold starts but generally clear conditions. "Tomorrow, very similar, high pressure again so another cold start but looking pretty good," she told Breakfast. In Auckland, residents can expect a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures reaching 18°C (64°F) and dropping to 12°C (53°F) at night. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This may be of interest to you! Undo Wellington will see sunny to partly cloudy skies, with highs around 16°C (61°F) and lows near 13°C (55°F). Christchurch is forecast to have mostly sunny conditions, with daytime temperatures around 15°C (59°F) and chilly nights dipping to 3°C (37°F). Live Events Also Read: Australia's deadliest floods Sunday(May 25) brings a shift in weather patterns as a front approaches the southwest of the South Island. "It's [going to] be a front that approaches the southwest of the South Island, so there will be some heavy rain for the southwest," Keats noted. However, areas from Christchurch up to Marlborough and the southeast, as well as the North Island, will remain mostly dry, with cloudy periods and the possibility of isolated showers. Keats offers some warmth to the forecast, as winters officially begin next weekend. "With winter starting next Saturday, you'll be happy to know that we actually do have quite a warm spell coming up," she said. The incoming front on Sunday brings a moist northerly flow, leading to an uptick in temperatures, especially noticeable in overnight lows. "In fact, those in the North and the upper North will probably be kicking off the winter duvet for next week as well," Keats added. MetService is closely monitoring developing systems that could lead to severe weather next week, despite this week's calm weather system. "Heavy rain to the West Coast; heavy falls later in the evening. Also the winds, we've got nor-westerners and could even be some gales for Wellington," Keats warned. The system is expected to move over the North Island on Monday, bringing another windy day for Marlborough and Wellington. "On Tuesday, it looks like there's some rather nasty stuff kind of brewing out over the Tasman," she cautioned.
NZ Herald
10-05-2025
- Climate
- NZ Herald
Wheelchair-bound after spinal surgery
Severe weather update with MetService head of weather news Heather Keats. Video / Michael Craig, MetService Premium The building is the largest infrastructure investment ever made by NZ Post. VIDEO / Michael Craig Christopher Luxon pre-Budget speech to BusinessNZ Nic Martin and Sophie-Maude rock out and jam together in an interview with NZME in Pāpā / Tom Eley Black smoke, signifying no pope, has emerged from the Sistine Chapel in the first decision of the conclave to elect a new pope. The Glen Innes Ministry of Social Development building on Mayfair Pl went up in smoke around 7am this morning. Video / Buhay Pinoy Sa New Zealand A woman has been arrested after her pet raccoon was found with a crack pipe in her car. Greg Foran talks leaving the airline and the state of the company and sector with Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking. Voting under way for new pope, high demand for New Zealand red meat and the labour market remains in sorry state. Emily Mains organises a free Tuesday evening run club each week in Clive, Hastings, for women runners to feel safe while they exercise. George won't let a wheelchair keep him from the climbing wall! Reporter Angelina is at the Halberg Games, where kids with disabilities are taking adaptive sports by storm. 14 years on from the earthquakes, Christchurch city prepares to open a first-class stadium while the Cathedral sits unfinished in an empty Square. A group of at least 100 gang members were monitored by police travelling to a function at a bar at Botany Junction. Video / Supplied Banana-clad mayoral hopeful Graham Bloxham talks about his arrest and plans for Wellington. Video / Marty Melville Rescuers search for survivors in the wreckage of the UNWRA school, where civil defence authorities say an Israeli airstrike killed nine people. Video / AFP
