A “mini-tornado” tore through the Queenstown suburb of Frankton overnight, ripping roofing off homes and sheds, blowing in windows, damaging fences and bringing down trees and branches. Alta Pl resident Hudson Turnbull said a neighbour saw the mini-tornado come off Lake Wakatipu about 1.45am. Three homes near the corner of Robertson St and Remarkables Cres…
NZ may be in for more tornadoes thanks to global warming – forecasters
New Zealand gets potentially dozens of “small” tornadoes each year, and may get more in the future because of global warming, forecasters say. Weather Watch chief forecaster Philip Duncan said Wednesday morning’s tornado was an isolated event and “fairly normal West Coast weather”. The twister made its way through Arahura, north of Hokitika, about 5.40am,…
Tornado slices through Ohope, uprooting trees, smashing windows
A tornado cut a swathe through the Bay of Plenty seaside town of Ohope on Monday, uprooting trees, smashing windows, lifting roof tiles, damaging fences and moving a trampoline. It blew up as a low pressure system, described by MetService as “significant”, moved across the North Island. Pictures on the Ohope Volunteer Fire Brigade’s Facebook…
Tornado rips through Te Awamutu property
A Te Awamutu family’s calm night in front of the fire and TV changed in seconds when a mini tornado ripped through their yard, tearing out the chimney and uprooting a giant kowhai tree. Daryl and Peter Ritsema were watching television with their adult children last night when the tornado struck. “All of a sudden…