02-Oct-2006
Thundery Start To October
The thunderstorms that hit parts of Auckland on Sunday afternoon brought a deluging start to October. MetService had a
moderate risk for thunderstorms in its outlook and their rain gauge at Auckland airport recorded 29mm between 5 and 6pm.
Showers formed over Northland in an increasingly moist northeast flow, and converged together near Auckland
concentrating their rainfall.
"There's more rain to come", commented MetService Weather Ambassador, Bob McDavitt. "We have a low pressure system in
the Tasman Sea which will be crossing the North Island tonight and on Tuesday, bringing with it several rain bands. More
thunderstorms may pop up in northeastern parts between Cape Reinga and Ruatoria dropping something like 50 to 60mm of
rain in a few hours. These downpours cause rapid and intense flooding and make driving hazardous."
"People in eastern areas will be getting a cold start to October with several days of wet and windy southerlies this
week. The low-pressure system is likely to combine with high pressures developing over the South Island to drop the
temperatures in central areas from Wednesday until the weekend. It will be sunny and mild in Westland, and frosts are on
the menu after Wednesday for central Otago and parts of Canterbury."
ENDS