Waterspout seen moving off coast of Auckland
Alert for damaging winds, huge hail, threat of tornadoes
Awaterspout was spotted moving off Auckland’s coastline, after an afternoon of thunderstorms across the North Island. A Birkenhead Point resident captured the waterspout at about 4.20pm, looking back across at Takapuna.
The waterspout was about 500m off the coast when a Castor Bay resident also managed to capture footage of it.
“The kids were worried, but it basically tracked down the middle of the harbour.”
Metservice forecaster Tuporo Marsters said 7100 lightning strikes were reported since 10am yesterday morning.
He said there will be a brief reprieve this morning before an unsettled week ahead.
A fast-moving front is expected to hit the west coast of both the North and South islands, bringing rain and showers.
Metservice issued a severe thunderstorm
The kids were worried, but it basically tracked down the middle of the harbour. Castor Bay resident
watch at 10am yesterday morning for the Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato and Bay of Plenty areas.
Metservice is advising that if these regions are hit with severe thunderstorms, they could see damaging wind gusts of 110 km/h or more, large hail that is 20mm or more in diameter and the possibility of small tornadoes.
Large hail can cause significant damage to crops, orchards, vines, glasshouses, and vehicles, as well as make driving conditions hazardous, says Metservice.
Wind gusts greater than 110km/h in strength can cause some structural damage, including trees and power lines, and may make driving hazardous. If any tornadoes occur, they will only affect very localised areas.
There were scattered showers, some heavy, forecast for Northland,
Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Manawatu¯ to Wellington, with a chance of hail and thunder this afternoon and evening.
In the South Island, Marlborough and Nelson were expecting rain turning to scattered showers in the late morning, with some heavy showers and thunder forecast inland.
Shortly before 6pm on Saturday night, Metservice weather radar detected severe thunderstorms near Orewa, Puhoi, Whangaparaoa and Silverdale moving towards the southsoutheast.
Central Auckland received its first dose of rain around 6.30pm when it was pounded with a short, powerful deluge.
Fire crews responded to more than 50 weather-related incidents from Hatfields Beach to Manukau, including trees that have blown onto houses, trees down across roads, water entering properties, and loose roofing iron.
There were reports of flash flooding as well as hail, thunder and lightning.
Some roads became “rivers of water” while a video posted to social media appears to show water pouring through the light fittings at one of the region’s busiest hospitals, Middlemore.
There was also at least one report of a sprinkler having been set off by water coming in through the ceiling, and multiple other alarms that have been set off by the weather.
Savage wind gusts and downpours forced people to take cover in nearby shops.
Social media users also posted videos of the rain seeping through door jambs and also coming through aluminium window frames.
— NZ Herald