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NZ – Rating our biggest storms

> From the WeatherWatch archives

Over the years New Zealand has had its fair share of severe weather events ranging from cyclones to blizzards but which storm or weather phenomenon do you think ranks number one?
It might be our most costly or where the weather was most extreme.

We’ve compiled a list in no particular order and feel free to rate them with number one being the worst plus add any significant events that you feel that may have been left out.

1939 Snowstorm affected much of the country and paralysed many towns and cities

1945 Snowstorm hits the south with Christchurch isolated for days.

1982/83 Crippling drought affrects North Otago and South Canterbury thanks to strong El Nino

1976 Heavy rain floods parts of the Wellington region

1968 The Wahine storm (Cyclone Giselle) causes havoc for parts of NZ

1975 Big nor’west windstorm blows from Wairarapa to Southland

1988 Cyclone Bola swamps parts of the northeast of the North Island

1978 & 1980 Two one hundred year flood events take place on the Taieri Plains and Clutha districts within two years

1992 Big Canterbury snowstorm with huge stock losses and Christchurch hit hard

1996 & 97 Cyclones Fergus and Drena cause major problems across the north

1997/98 season Big El Nino sees wet west and dry east

2006 Big snow not forecast hits eastern South Island severely

2013 Big dry and drought conditions cover much of the country

What deserves to be put in the number one slot and what would the top 5 be? 

Feel free to comment below.

-WeatherWatch

Comments

Before you add a new comment, take note this story was published on 16 May 2013.

malcolm gayfer on 17/05/2013 4:55am

yes, the vicious blizzards in the south that followed the snow dump that dealt to Stadium Southland

Guest on 17/05/2013 4:31am

What about the september storm for southland?

zachary on 17/05/2013 4:12am

what about the tornado reports of 1948 or 2011 or even 2012 event tornado or some of the thunderstorms over canterbury or auckland like the series on febuary last year

Hadley on 17/05/2013 12:35am

2004 Lower North Island floods?

Robby on 17/05/2013 8:11am

100yr flood followed 6 months later with a 50yr flood.

Guest on 17/05/2013 12:03am

and the snow of 2011 that hit Manawatu? Snow hadn’t fallen in Manawatu since the late 30’s
Also, February Floods in 2004 that flooded out the Manawatu should be mentioned, that wrecked havoc

Sheryl on 16/05/2013 11:27pm

shouldn’t the snow across much of NZ in 2012 be here???

sw on 16/05/2013 11:15pm

El nino or droughts not a storm anyway,its a weather pattern,bola was ’88.what about the 1936 feb storm?In 1978 we never spoke of 1 in 100 year old storms unless I was too young to remember then.

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