New Zealand Local Weather Forum
Archive Library => 2013 => Archives => January => Topic started by: JennyLeez on January 02, 2013, 10:09:54 AM
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Unbelievable weather at Arthur's Pass at present.
Yesterday they tallied up 92.5mm of rain with a high wind gust of 98.1k/hr (WU) with temps more likened to winter values. 12.6 High and 8.4 low.
Mr Kates website shows even higher Rainfall and wind gust values of 119mm and 106k/hr respectively which I would envisage to be more accurate than WU.
Today the 2nd the rainfall total at WU so far is 140.7mm.
Copied from Mr Kates website:
Wednesday 2/01/2013: Very heavy rain (100mm from midnight to 0700hrs - 300mm++ and building); expected to ease by evening with snow levels falling to 1500m. Showers clearing tomorrow.
Climbing conditions are poor after heavy rain to high level soaking the snowpack with another storm cycle presently upon us (gales on tops).
Avalanche risk is HIGH. Rainfall has penetrated the snowpack to high level, with further heavy rain forecast. Large wet sluffs have been running on loaded southern aspects. Avoid avalanche terrain and traps!
Snowline is now receding and thinning very rapidly, however snowpack on southern half remains fairly deep for this time of year.
Some crevasses and bergschrunds are starting to form in steep terrain - in both permanent and non-permanent ice areas. Rain has undermined lower altitude snowpack especially about gully systems - care required! Don't be tempted to "butt-slide", this is the season for them becoming uncontrolled mini-avalanches (bad news in poor run-out areas)!
http://www.softrock.co.nz/mg/index.php?page=0 (http://www.softrock.co.nz/mg/index.php?page=0)
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Update at 11.35am
Arthur's Pass
Rain so far 161.5mm
Wind Gust high 72.4k/hr
Wind run so far 549.6
Temp at present 11.8
Baro 996.5 hPa
Hum 100%
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Yes it is unreal - but yesterday it was predicted to be much higher by Met Service.Going by memory they were predicted to get about 300 odd of rain.
This is the new forecast for today
AREA/S AFFECTED
Westland from the Glaciers southwards
FORECAST
Heavy rain is expected to continue until late this afternoon. In the 8 hours from 9am to 5pm Wednesday, expect a further 70 to 120mm of rain about the ranges on top of what has already fallen. 30 to 50mm of rain is likely near the coast. The heaviest falls are likely until early afternoon, when intensities could reach 25 to 40mm per hour, especially with any thunderstorms.
FREEZING LEVEL: About 2600 metres.
This was copied from the Metservice site.
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A good test would be the rainfall at the Cropp sites, but their data is only collected much later than when initially recorded. Waterfall once recorded 758mm in a 24-hour period (NZ record), and on another occasion 134mm in an hour.
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That is some rain!
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Update:
196.6mm at 1.45pm
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11.45pm.
Arthur's Pass Rainfall total from WU is 289.3mm for the day.
This has beaten our Local Station's highest Day Rainfall for last year which was Russell with 286.8mm.
Total for 1st and 2nd of January is 403.1mm
High Gust of 126km/hr
High Temp of 13.7 and low of 7.4
What a lousy Summer's Day !!!!