We’re on narrow islands in the middle of a vast pool of water and our weather can provide so many changes in short periods of time as we’re exposed to all sorts of elements.

We’ve got a couple of facts and stories in regards to extreme weather situations which we believe make for interesting reading…

How windy is Wellington?
On 173 days a year, New Zealand’s breezy capital is buffeted by winds of over 60 km an hour. Gusts regularly reach 140 km an hour. The city’s strongest winds were an incredible 248 km an hour, at Hawkins Hill on 6 November 1959 and 4 July 1962. (This was just under the national record: on 18 April 1970, gusts of 250 km an hour hit Mt John in Canterbury.)

Hard frost
A spectacular frost occurred in Otago in early July 1991 when overnight air temperatures dropped below -15°C – for days in some places. The effect was chaos. Beer froze in pubs, water pipes burst, diesel turned to sludge, and rabbits with frostbitten ears were accused of cannibalism on national television. Exposed metal (such as gates) became so cold that skin froze to it on contact. 

Lightning
In 2002 Paul Martin was running to avoid heavy rain. Suddenly he heard a loud bang and then saw a bright flash. Thinking he was on fire, he dropped into a gutter full of water. Lightning had entered through his back and gone out through his eye. He experienced brief heart complications, a graze on his back and some damage to his left retina, but survived the ordeal.

Tornado
Just after finishing the morning milking in September 1990, Manukau dairy farmer Laurie Coe drove off on his four-wheel bike to see what was worrying his cows, who refused to leave the milking shed. Unable to see the approaching tornado because of heavy rain, he was suddenly thrown into a fence, then lifted into the sky. He was carried 100 metres before being slammed down into another paddock. He suffered only a stiff neck, sore back and a few minor bruises.

Do you have any information or stories you’d like to share? We’d love to hear them.
Simply post a comment below 🙂

-WeatherWatch