Tonga: Size of eruption put into perspective (InfoGraphics & Maps)
15/01/2022 9:30pm
> From the WeatherWatch archives
No matter how you look at this, the eruptions in Tonga on Saturday afternoon were absolutely enormous.
From the speed of the sound shockwave reaching NZ, to the size of the cloud now towering over Tonga and affecting aviation paths.
As of 10am Sunday morning people in the UK were detecting the atmospheric shockwave caused by the explosion. In Alaska, over 9000km from Tonga, people heard the sonic booms.
In California on Sunday morning tsunami is being recorded impacting coastal areas. A damaging tsunami also hit Tutukaka marina north of Auckland overnight.
WeatherWatch.co.nz has made some infographics below to help better illustrate just how huge and significant this eruption in Tonga has been.
The shock wave was also recorded by our official WeatherWatch.co.nz weather station in Auckland, New Zealand. Some people may have heard the explosion(s) and others may have even felt the explosions in their ear drums.
WeatherWatch.co.nz
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Before you add a new comment, take note this story was published on 15 Jan 2022.
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Kitty on 16/01/2022 5:02am
Heard it in Hamilton. I thought it was very loud thunder. We need rain badly and was disappointed to see clear sky and not a drop of rain. I hope everyone in Tonga is OK. God bless you all.
Reply
M laverty on 16/01/2022 4:38am
I heard large explosions in the distance in Havelock North just as sun was setting. I thought it was fireworks but it was too much light for fireworks. Around 9 pm. Dogs were barking.
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Olivia on 16/01/2022 2:38am
What time was it NZ time?
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WW Forecast Team on 16/01/2022 2:53am
Hi Olivia,
The eruption was around 5 to 5:30pm yesterday and the sound hit NZ about 2 to 3 hours later.
– WW
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Jason on 16/01/2022 12:33am
I heard multiple booms in the Kaimai’s, went on for quite a while.
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Chris Raine on 15/01/2022 10:31pm
Heard and felt at Thornbury Southland. House shook and distinct bang x 2 .Went outside to investigate.Calm and clear. Didn’t make sense at time
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Anna on 15/01/2022 10:24pm
Heard several booms last night in Martinborough, Wairarapa
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Janice Kumar-Ward on 15/01/2022 9:29pm
We heard it here in Oratia, High in the Waitakere in Auckland. We rushed out after hearing four or so rolling booms… not a cloud in the sky! Had us all mystified!
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Brett Spicer on 15/01/2022 8:19pm
Wow amazing. I was going over my weather station readings and graphs for the day on wunderground and noticed that the pressure reading spiked, thought it was my station giving out some false reading, I checked out a few other stations on wunderground noticed the same then thought it must be a wunderground glitch.
The pressure spiked from 1017.2 up to 1020.93 then back down to 1015.51 all within 35 minutes here in Kaiaua.
Then I went to bed early and woke to all this, it’s got me buzzin.
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kay on 15/01/2022 8:18pm
We heard it in central hawkes bay. A series of very deep booms, the first one shook the house.
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