Tornado ripped through downtown Auckland last night including Westhaven....how's your boat?

[Zozza 336]

Various reports of boats actually sunk in Westhaven marina itself?

 

 

[Ed 151]

50ft schionning cat tipped end over end, saw at least one keeler sunk, fair bit of mooring line chafe damage on some boats, and scores of blown out/missing dodgers/bimini's. Floating dock office is now matchsticks.

 

Worst hit was towards the ends of R -Y piers, very localised though, a strip maybe only 15-20m wide saw significant damage. Definitely a tornado

[Fish 0]

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/396537/auckland-thunderstorms-boats-adrift-container-blown-onto-car

 

Police said a container blew off a stack of containers on Jellicoe Wharf, at the Ports of Auckland, on Monday night hitting the side of a car and trapping a person inside.

Fire and Emergency spokesperson Daniel Nicholson said they were called at 9.57pm, and managed to release the person within half an hour. St John Ambulance said it took one patient to Auckland Hospital in a moderate condition from Ports of Auckland.

The Great Barrier Island car ferry broke off its mooring line and at least two yachts were sunk in their berths.

Coastguard duty officer Hemi Manaena said there had been significant damage to Westhaven Marina and Viaduct Harbour in Monday night's storm.

The police maritime unit was called out to the Great Barrier Island car ferry which broke its moorings and was in danger of smashing against the seawalls just off the Hilton Hotel on Princes wharf, he said.

Ports of Auckland tugs and the Coastguard were scrambled to move it back into the Wynyard terminal.

Volunteers helped secure other vessels, including a superyacht, and in removing debris.

"There were lots of reports coming into us ... various pieces of debris adrift and around the place, portacoms and shipping containers, cars had fallen off the wharves," Mr Manaena said.

"Some people have called it a tornado, other people are calling it a thunderstorm gust, but whatever you'd like to call it it was very strong winds which has caused a significant amount of damage in and around the Auckland downtown area particularly the Westhaven Marina/Viaduct Habour area."

A car was submerged at the entrance to the Viaduct Harbour and a catamaran was upended in the Westhaven Marina.

Crews worked to remove all the flotsam in the harbour but there was still a "large amount" in the harbour, Mr Manaena said.

[eruptn 103]

From NZ Herald:

 

[Island Time 1,288]

[Vorpal Blade 89]

Based on the phone calls Ive already had there is widespread dodger and sail carnage. 

[Fish 0]

The wind gauge at the Squadron ( as per Predict Wind) shows the wind going high 30's gusting 51 knts at 10 pm. But it shot up from 10 knts, straight up like one of Kim's missiles, then straight back down again.

 

The harbour bridge wind gauge shows high 20's gusting mid 40's at the same time. It must have been very local. Nothing that would explain the extent of damage. Could it be one of those downdraft things? or a rolling effect in the lee of the hills there (i.e. the start of a classic tornado).

 

The 24 hr rain radar shows a large rain cell, covering all of Auckland from the Waitemata down to the Hunua's, and from Manakau to the Frith of Thames, but nothing of particular note. That said, the 24 hr radar only takes a snap every hour, so it wouldn't show a fast developing thunder head or anything.

 

Anyone have any first hand knowledge of the weather event, or understand the meterological side of it?

Anyone living around Ponsonby / Freeman's Bay experince anything interesting? calling Priscilla?

[Island Time 1,288]

It would be a thunderstorm downdraft. They can be hurricane force, come down, hit the water surface and "bounce". If one got under the cat bridge deck, that could explain it... Known effect from a supercell. That might be it?

Very bad luck .

[Island Time 1,288]

A bit of google research comes up with this;

 

Downburst

Sometimes thunderstorms will produce intense downdrafts that create damaging winds on the ground. These downdrafts are referred to as macrobursts or microbursts, depending on their size. A macroburst is more than 4 km (2.5 miles) in diameter and can produce winds as high as 60 metres per second, or 215 km per hour (200 feet per second, or 135 miles per hour). A microburst is smaller in dimension but produces winds as high as 75 metres per second, or 270 km per hour (250 feet per second, or 170 miles per hour) on the ground. When the parent storm forms in a wet, humid environment, the microburst will be accompanied by intense rainfall at the ground. If the storm forms in a dry environment, however, the precipitationmay evaporate before it reaches the ground (such precipitation is referred to as virga), and the microburst will be dry.

[Beccara 25]

Pilots know them as microbursts too and they are bloody scary

[raz88 97]

Based on the damage it certainly seems like the wind over the other side of westhaven must have been way over the 50kts peak on the squadron windgear.

[1paulg 20]

Is hard to imagine the force required to upend that Schionning - it is a big boat.   I heard that one of the superboats was just about laid on its ear ....   

    Freakish forces involved .

[wheels 544]

 We went through what we think was a microburst years ago. Went through it on purpose not knowing what it was. When we hit it, wished I didn't and will never do that again. Laid us flat, all 22 tonne of us and ripped the sheet car out of the track and was whipping around hitting the windscreen and I was amased it didn't smash. thick as toughend glass. but still, it was scary force wacking it. A heap of damage and a very big fright.
It wasn't till talking to a sailing mate who was also a commercial Pilot and he explained what it was too me. Pilots are terrified of the things because they can't see it and it can drop them like a stone for hundreds of feet or more.
I only saw the effect on the water itself, otherwise invisible. It was the strange pattern on the water that lured me in. No warning of strong wind or anything, bar the water leaping into the air in a perfect circle ruffly a hundred metres in diameter. Dead calm outside and inside that circle. Apparently the water was being pulled back up in the air with the air current deflecting back up. He said easily over 100Mph winds which would deflect straight back up again. He said that was very rare and I likely will never see one again in my life time.
I could easily imagine the thing getting under the Tramp and turning the Cat on it's back. 

[funlovincriminal 212]

What is that keeler sunk in the first pic?

[Fish 0]

What is that keeler sunk in the first pic?

Happy Teeth's new holiday Bach?

 

Let me know if it's too soon...

[Ed 151]

Insurance renewals are going to be a frightening experience this time around

[Fogg 427]

How does a wind gust sink a boat on its berth?

[Ladyhawk 37]

The cat looks like Rosella, a waterline 1750, 2007 or so... nice boat, shame to see that happen to it

[Ladyhawk 37]

How does a wind gust sink a boat on its berth?

Crazy hey?, maybe it picked it up and dumped on the post thats part of the finger, looks like the finger has taken a hammering too, punctured the hull below the waterline... I dunno..

[El Toro 110]

Wowsers