Ex-cyclone Lusi reaching land - Post your Reports here.

[JennyLeez]

Updated 6:35am --- Ex-cyclone Lusi is pushing in towards the upper North Island Saturday morning - with the centre around 300kms north of Cape Reinga as of 6:30am Saturday. 

Despite losing it's tropical cyclone status it still retains cyclone status winds - with sustained gales around the centre.

Overnight Cape Reinga has had gusts to 130km/h and some exposed parts of eastern Northland and Auckland are now getting much windier.   Although many people are still reporting conditions as calm or 'eerie".

Gales with cyclones often start off slowly building, then ramp up suddenly as the centre moves closer.

However, as expected by WeatherWatch, the rain has become fairly patchy - although isolated areas of heavy rain could set in and cause issues.  The low is slow moving for Saturday, but will start to speed it's southward journey on Sunday. Farmers desperate for rain will be hit and miss with happiness from this low unfortunately.

Gales will pick up suddenly in northern areas this morning and across Saturday. Lusi may be slowly weakening but the storm is still sizeable and capable of creating damaging gales in exposed areas (check out our wind maps) as it grazes the upper North Island on Saturday.
weatherwatch.co.nz

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[JennyLeez]

ISSUED BY METSERVICE AT 1253hrs 15-Mar-2014
CYCLONE LUSI EXPECTED TO BRING SEVERE WEATHER TO MANY REGIONS THIS
WEEKEND

A depression, formerly Tropical Cyclone Lusi lies just north of New
Zealand and is expected to lie about 300km west of Auckland at
midnight tonight. The depression will continue to move southwards on
Sunday, crossing the north of the South Island Sunday evening.
Widespread heavy rain and easterly gales, already affecting
northern areas are spreading southwards today.

Severe Weather Warnings are in force for heavy rain in Northland, the
Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay,
Marlborough (including the Kaikoura Ranges) and Nelson. Warnings are
also in force for severe gales in Northland, Auckland, and parts of
Waikato.

NOTE: The watch for heavy rain for South Canterbury and North Otago
has now been upgraded to a warning.
Also the watch for severe northwest gales for Wellington, Marlborough
and Wairarapa has also been upgraded to a warning.

This Watch is for the possibility of rain reaching warning criteria
today in Auckland (especially about the Hunua and Waitakere Ranges).
Also the watch covers heavy rain on Mt Taranaki on Sunday.
This watch now includes the possibility of heavy falls during Sunday
for North Canterbury (including Christchurch City), and Dunedin.

In addition, easterly gales are expected over most of the North
Island and upper South Island, particularly in the lee of ranges.
This Watch is for the possibility of easterly gales becoming severe
today about the Coromandel Peninsula, the Central Plateau, Manawatu
and Taranaki. Also for Nelson and Buller tonight and Sunday morning.

This will be a significant adverse weather event, affecting many
parts of the country.  People are strongly advised to keep up to date
with the latest forecasts, warnings and watches.

[Mark]

Just started to rain in Christchurch.

[JennyLeez]

Summary compiled from 86 Member Weather Stations.
Top 20 Wettest Locations today as @ 9.50pm

Location Tapu Valley Totara North Hunua Russell Kerikeri Waitakere Kaipara Lake Hakanoa Red Beach Howick Mt Roskill Nuhaka Howick West Mairangi Bay Paremoremo Mangawhai Grey Lynn Awhitu Ohuka Coromandel Town

Rainfall 75.6 52.6 46.7 45.0 32.8 29.6 28.8 28.2 26.5 24.2 24.0 21.9 20.4 18.2 18.1 16.8 16.2 13.1 12.6 12.2

The data used in this Report is contributed by Member Stations. 
NZLWF accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of Member's Data.

[Weather Display]

hoping to get a few more showers of rain today before its all over
as 15mm is not a drought breaker
and instead will only just rot the dry matter that is there now in the pastures and cause the cows to drop in milk production

[Mark]

12mm rain over night with winds gusting to 45km/h.

[Mark]

29mm rain now.
Just light rain falling with wind of 35km/h from the northeast..

[intrepid]

A measely 2.7mm over the last 24 hours.

[gabba]

Some strongish gusts here at the mo about 72kph but gusts only so far. Expect it to get stronger tonight. Has only really started blowing since sunset tonight

[intrepid]

Well, things have 'improved' during the night.  Wind gusts up to 50km/hr (remember we are sheltered here) and 15 mm rain in the last 24 hours.