Weather deteriorates on stormy Sunday but sunshine returning to Taranaki

Sunday, 8 December 2019

Strong winds disrupted power supply to 700 homes bringing down lines on Lemon St, New Plymouth late Sunday afternoon,

After an early morning spate of thunder and lightning and heavy rain, Taranaki's weather outlook for the week ahead looks more promising.

However the weather did not clear enough for the annual Carols by Candlelight at Pukekura Park to go ahead on Sunday night.

The wet weather forced the cancellation of the annual Carols by Candlelight at Pukekura Park.

It was called off around 4pm after forecasts of heavy rain.

The Met Service predicted rainfall of between 110mm-150mm around Mt Taranaki, with intensive peaks of 20mm-30mm an hour and thunderstorms during the day.

Sunny skies are forecasted in Taranaki during the week after thunderstorms and lightning early Sunday.

Residents were awakened early Sunday morning to heavy thunderstorms and lightning and there were warnings of the possibility of small tornadoes through to early Monday.

The deluge turned to overcast skies as the rain eased off before more heavy rain and strong gusts late in the afternoon.

There were few reports of weather-related damage apart from small power outages in Strandon, Stratford, Kapuni and Eltham during the day.

In New Plymouth, more than 2000 properties were affected by power cuts caused by lightning strikes on Sunday evening, Powerco said.

The outages closed Stratford's TSB Bank swimming pool, and disrupted movie screenings at New Plymouth's Top Town Cinema.

Trampers in the Egmont National Park were warned of streams and rivers rising rapidly, and motorists of possible surface flooding and slips, making conditions hazardous.

After rain showers on Monday the Met Service has forecasted sunny skies, with temperatures in the mid 20s, until Friday when light rain showers are set to return.

The current weather in Taranaki and other western and central parts of the North Island was being caused by a very humid air mass over the North Island which is expected to bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to many parts before an embedded front moves over later in the day, the Met Service said.

There is a risk that some of these thunderstorms may be severe with downpours of 25mm-40mm an hour, and large hail of more than 20 mm in diameter and small tornadoes possible, it said.

MetService meteorologist Andy Best said the weather pattern had been more spring-like than summery, as weather systems continued to bombard our shores, bringing gale to severe gale northwesterlies, torrential rain and severe thunderstorms.

'A ridge of high pressure north of the North Island remained in place since the start of last week.

'This so-called 'blocking ridge' slowed systems down as they moved onto the country, allowing large accumulations of rain and preventing many of the fronts from moving up the North Island.'

Best said a change to the weather pattern would see a cold front moving up the country and rain over the South Island easing to showers.

As the cold front moves northeast across the North Island, the frontal rain eases to a mix of fine weather and isolated showers during Monday morning, although there is a chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms popping up over inland areas, the Met Service forecasted.

Tuesday looked like a mainly fine day, as a ridge moves over central and northern parts of the country, it said.