Rare tornado outbreak hits New Zealand

[Willoughby Owen]

Hi, the last two days here over the North Island have been quite exceptional with 10 + being reported in various regions including Auckland City, New Plymouth and Tauranga cities with thunderstorms. Very high helicity (relative to our location!) in these storms over warmish seas (16C). Dewpoints were getting as high as 16C also (61f) ahead of the system, quite exceptional for mid-winter here.

The first day (Wednesday) was a total shock to New Plymouth on the west coast when it threw part of the roof off a Placemakers store. Luckily no one was injured.. hours later eastern Auckland was hit, and overnight Tauranga city on the east coast there were reports of one.

Yesterday there was more savage suprise to the area around Taranaki/New Plymouth with "a swarm" of tornadoes pounding the area and damaging over 70 houses. It was declared a state of emergency just last night.

Damage tolls are expected at $2 million in New Plymouth and $7 million alone to the small sea-side town of Oakura.

Some aftermath video here: http://www.tv3.co.nz/VideoBrowseAll.../tabid/316/articleID/30182/Default.aspx#video

Twister's trail of destruction covers 140km
From Motunui in the north to Normanby in the south, trees were uprooted, roofs flung from houses and powerlines torn from poles as at least six tornadoes struck.

Between 40 and 50 houses in Oakura suffered up to 80 per cent damage.

Yesterday's mayhem followed a single destructive twister that swept through central New Plymouth on Wednesday, tearing a roof off the Placemakers store, damaging six business premises, and uprooting fences and blowing in giant plate glass windows at the racecourse.

But that event was dwarfed by yesterday's multiple strike.

Meteorologists, who describe the Taranaki coast as a tornado hotspot, said a series of thunderstorms swept in from the Tasman Sea, spawning numerous tornadoes.

Miraculously, there were no reports of serious injuries.

A 15 year-old-girl was feared missing in Oakura, but she was found later safe with minor injuries.

In the most dramatic incident, eight people were trapped in a vehicle surrounded by live powerlines onWiremu Rd near Opunake.

Rescue teams worked to free them, illuminated by headlights of motorists.

State Highway 3 was closed near Motunui and at Egmont Village by trees brought down across the road.

Power was cut to 7000 households in Taranaki, affecting up to 20,000 people. By 10pm, Powerco said supply had been restored to 2500 consumers.
...
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4118348a11.html

This event has hurried the MetService to get onto NWS-like watches. But warnings like the NWS are beyond their capability as yet with little resource with regard to doppler weather radars.

Wasn't expecting this tornadic action just after coming back from the Great Plains!!

 

[Michael O'Keeffe]

Hey Willoughby it looks like you brought the tornadoes with you when you came back from the Plains. No wonder why their hasnt been any tornadoes here lately.