This week (August 2017), our forecast room meteorologists have some visitors. Our current group of trainee meteorologists are sitting in on some shifts to get a feel for what real-time forecasting is like day to day. This is part of their training, which began in January 2017, and will finish at the start of next year.
On Sunday, 16 July 2017, artist and master carver Dr Clifford (Cliff) Hamilton Whiting of Te Whanau-a-Apanui (ONZ) passed away at the age of 81.
When we head towards the Winter season, the days get shorter and we can expect temperatures to start to fall. Often in New Zealand, Autumn is a very transitional season, swinging from warm tropical air from the north to cold southerly air from the South Pole.
by MetService communications meteorologist Lisa Murray
Each year meteorologists around the world celebrate a chosen theme to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on the 23rd of March in 1950. “Understanding Clouds” is the theme of World Meteorological Day this year, to highlight the enormous importance of clouds for weather climate and water.
by MetService Meteorologist April Clark
Wellington is known in New Zealand, and around the world, as 'Windy Wellington' due to the frequent strong, gusty northerlies that Wellington experiences. A hardened Wellingtonian is used to the strong winds, and may even miss them when they do disappear for a few days. So, why does Wellington get such sustained strong winds? There are a number of factors which come into play that make Wellington 'the windiest city' in the world with 178 days a year gusting at or above 63 km/h.
How often have you gone to sleep on a calm night under clear skies, only to wake up and find the whole valley is full of fog? This makes for great photos if you live above the cloud, as shown below from January 28th 2017 in Crofton Downs, Wellington, but it’s not so nice for the people living beneath the cloud. Often the top of the fog is a smooth, flat surface, and is due to an ‘inversion’. In this blog post we unravel what an inversion is, and why it leads to valley fog like this.
Summertime convection
Many Auckland boaties head north for the summer break, up to the Bay of Islands and sometimes beyond, to the Cavalli Islands and Whangaroa Harbour. The prevailing southwest winds should mean a run up the coast. Right? Wrong. You need to know about the Northland lee trough.
By Lisa Murray, Communications Meteorologist.
January 2017.
Eight new trainees had their first day at MetService on January 25th 2017, welcomed by MetService and Victoria University staff, including MetService CEO, Peter Lennox and Victoria University's Associate Dean of Science, Shona De Sain.
By Tom Adams, Meteorologist.
Different parts of New Zealand are prone to different types of cloud. Use this handy guide to determine what types of cloud you get in your area, and where to go for some variety!