List of New Zealand tornadoes

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The country of New Zealand experiences several tornadoes a year, most recently in April 2023.

Climatology and background[edit]

A tornado refers to a violently rotating column of air that reaches the ground, which can be among the most destructive of all atmospheric phenomena.[1] Each year, there are 7–10 damaging tornadoes that touch down in New Zealand, occurring mostly along the west coast of both islands. Tornadoes in New Zealand most often form from squall lines ahead of cold fronts, which have the potential to spawn mesocyclones capable of tornadogenesis. Tornadoes in the country are usually short-lived, narrow, and weak. However, the country's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) assessed the 1948 Frankton tornado as an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, making it New Zealand's strongest known tornado. The 1948 tornado was also its most impactful, with 200 buildings damaged, as well as a rare deadly tornado in the country, with three deaths.[2]


Events[edit]

Tornado Event Date Area Tornadoes Casualties Notes
Parnell tornado December 1863 Parnell, New Zealand - 0 fatalities, numerous injuries A tornado passed through part of Auckland suburb of Parnell, destroying every building and tree it came across, causing a total of £5,000 in damage.[3]
Kaitaia tornado 26 August 1942 Kaitaia, New Zealand - 1 fatality, 8 injuries A tornado struck the town of Kaitaia in the Northland Region. The tornado damaged or destroyed numerous buildings in the town. A bus and car were also tossed into the air and destroyed. One person was killed and eight others were injured by the tornado.[4]
Frankton (Hamilton) tornado 25 August 1948 Waikato, New Zealand - 3 fatalities, 80 injuries F2 damage; 163 buildings and 50 businesses.[5][6]
Bay of Plenty tornado 28 May 1968 Ōmokoroa, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand - 0 fatalities, 0 injuries A tornado ripped across the Bay of Plenty coastline near Tauranga, affecting Ōmokoroa, Pukehina Beach and Paengaroa. Several homes were heavily damaged in Pukehina Beach, including a newly built two-story home that was flattened. No casualties were reported.[7]
Halswell tornado 19 January 1983 Halswell, Christchurch, New Zealand - 0 fatalities, unknown injured This tornado was part of a severe storm that struck Christchurch. Authorities didn't believe reports made by citizens, as few buildings were damaged.[8]
Albany tornado May 1991 Albany, New Zealand - 1 fatality, unknown injured A local church destroyed. One man driving a bulldozer was killed by flying debris.[9]
Waitara tornado[10] 15 August 2004 Taranaki, New Zealand - 2 fatalities, 2 seriously injured The casualties occurred when a farmhouse was demolished by the tornado. Several power lines were taken out, affecting 6,662 consumers and 1,200 homes. Media reports included debris 'spread over an area 400 metres long by 50 metres wide', although other media outlets described the track length as being greater than 1 kilometre (3,300 ft). The tornado was assessed as F3 on the Fujita scale, making it the strongest on record in New Zealand.[11]
Greymouth tornado 10 March 2005 West Coast, New Zealand 1 0 fatalities, 6 injured The path of devastation was approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long and 400 metres (1,300 ft) wide. It had an F1 rating with winds speeds of around 180 km/h. It was estimated that the tornado lasted 10 seconds. The insurance industry payouts for the tornado was NZ$9,200,000 (2005 money). Two tornadoes touched down in Greymouth within two years. Up to 30 people were made homeless. Six people received injuries from the tornado. Two people were admitted to hospital with moderate injuries, and one was treated and discharged. The St John's ambulance treated another three people for minor cuts and bruises. One woman was injured when the tornado flipped over the campervan she was sitting in. A 12-tonne truck was overturned along with a number of cars. West Coast is one of the most tornado-prone areas of New Zealand.[12]
New Plymouth tornado 4 July 2007 New Plymouth, New Zealand - 0 fatalities A series of tornadoes ripped through the New Plymouth district of New Zealand, damaging 50 homes and rendering 70–80% of them uninhabitable. One person was injured, and several were trapped inside vehicles by powerlines.[13]
Auckland tornado 3 May 2011 Auckland, New Zealand - 1 fatality, 14 injuries A tornado struck the Auckland suburb of Albany, killing one person and injuring many others.[14][15]
New Plymouth tornadoes 19 June 2011 New Plymouth, New Zealand 2 confirmed
1 unconfirmed		 0 fatalities Two tornadoes struck New Plymouth, damaging businesses in the Central Business District, St Mary's Church Hall, and a hotel.[16]
Auckland tornado 6 December 2012 Auckland, New Zealand More than 1 3 fatalities, at least 7 injuries A tornado struck the Auckland suburb of Hobsonville, killing three people and injuring at least seven others.[17]
Mt Maunganui tornado 13 May 2015 Mt Maunganui, New Zealand 1 0 fatalities A tornado struck the Tauranga suburb of Mt Maunganui, damaging homes and the nearby Baypark Stadium.[18]
Coopers Beach tornado 5 June 2019 Coopers Beach, New Zealand 1 0 fatalities A tornado struck the town of Coopers Beach and caused damage to 15 homes, leaving two to be deemed uninhabitable.[19]
North Island tornadoes 11-12 August 2019 North Island, New Zealand 4 0 fatalities, 2 injuries Four tornadoes struck the North Island over two consecutive days. Tornadoes struck Auckland and the Taranaki Region, causing major damage. Severe thunderstorms also produced large 'spiky' hail, lightning and heavy rain. Two people were injured by the tornadoes.[20][21][22]
Christchurch tornado 18 November 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand 1 2 injuries A tornado struck Christchurch, injuring two people and causing significant damage.[23]
Papamoa tornado 27 June 2020 Papamoa, New Zealand 1 0 fatalities A tornado struck the Tauranga suburb of Papamoa in the early morning and caused some damage to homes. The tornado also sent a trampoline flying across a main road into some trees lining the carpark of a local supermarket.[24]
Papatoetoe tornado 19 June 2021 Auckland, New Zealand 1 1 fatality, 2 injuries A tornado struck the Papatoetoe district in South Auckland. The tornado damaged roofs, trees and shipping containers. A worker at Wiri Station was killed, while two others were injured. About 1,200 homes were affected by the tornado, 60 of which were deemed to be uninhabitable.[25]
Tongariro National Park tornado 27 February 2023 Tongariro National Park, New Zealand 1 0 A weak tornado was seen over the national park[26]
North Island tornadoes 9-11 April 2023 Taranaki, Nelson, Tasman District, New Zealand 4 1 injury Four tornadoes struck Taranaki, Nelson, and Wellington. Numerous homes were damaged, and one person was injured.[27]

Climatological statistics[edit]

The following is a chart showing New Zealand tornadoes by month or by time period.

Number of recorded tornadoes affecting New Zealand
Month Number of storms
January
1
February
1
March
1
April
4
May
3
June
5
July
1
August
6
November
1
December
2
Tornadoes affecting New Zealand by period
Period Number of storms
1800s
1
1900s
3
2000s
3
2010s
7
2020s
4

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "National Weather Service Glossary". National Weather Service. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "Tornadoes in New Zealand - FAQs". National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. June 6, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  3. ^ pg. 5. South Australian Weekly Chronicle. Saturday 5 December 1863
  4. ^ https://hwe.niwa.co.nz/event/August_1942_New_Zealand_High_Winds
  5. ^ "August 1948 Waikato Tornado ( 1948-08-25 )". hwe.niwa.co.nz. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "Twister terror: 60 years since NZ's deadliest tornado". stuff.co.nz. January 31, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  7. ^ https://hwe.niwa.co.nz/event/May_1968_Bay_of_Plenty_Tornado
  8. ^ "January 1983 Canterbury Tornado and Hail ( 1983-01-19 )". hwe.niwa.co.nz. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  9. ^ Tornado
  10. ^ "New Zealand's official weather forecasts & warnings - Meteorological Service of New Zealand". MetService.co.nz. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  11. ^ https://hwe.niwa.co.nz/event/August_2004_New_Zealand_Storm
  12. ^ "March 2005 West Coast Tornado ( 2005-03-10 )". hwe.niwa.co.nz. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  13. ^ "Emergency declared after NZ tornados". West Australian Newspapers Pty Ltd. The West Australian. July 5, 2007. Archived from the original on September 18, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  14. ^ McLean, Tamara (May 4, 2011). "Breaking news". AAP. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  15. ^ "Tornado rips through New Zealand city of Auckland". BBC News. May 3, 2011.
  16. ^ "New Plymouth rocked by tornado terror". ONE News. TVNZ. June 19, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  17. ^ "Auckland tornado kills 3, hits 150 homes". stuff.co.nz. December 6, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  18. ^ "Post-tornado cleanup in Mount Maunganui". NZ Herald. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  19. ^ "Tornado leaves trail of destruction at Coopers Beach". NZ Herald. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  20. ^ "Wild weather aftermath: 'The place looks like a war zone' - Auckland resident". The New Zealand Herald. August 12, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "More wild weather: Tornado strikes New Plymouth". The New Zealand Herald. August 12, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  22. ^ McRae, Tom (August 19, 2019). "Pictures of devastating tornado tearing through Auckland's Viaduct Harbour". Newshub. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  23. ^ https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/117510613/12kmtall-thunderstorm-cloud-spawned-destructive-christchurch-tornado>
  24. ^ "SunLive - Tornado rips through Papamoa causing mayhem - The Bay's News First". sunlive.co.nz. June 27, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  25. ^ https://hwe.niwa.co.nz/event/June_2021_Auckland_Tornado
  26. ^ "Watch: Tornado tears across Tongariro National Park". December 10, 2023.
  27. ^ "New Zealand's lower North Island hit by tornadoes". Reuters. April 10, 2023.

External links[edit]

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