Weather: Thunderstorms rattle Auckland, shake homes, alarm residents

A graphic shows the storm passing over Auckland on Monday, December 9 2024.

Thunderstorms are alarming Aucklanders on Monday night as they rattle the city - and there could be more to come.

Powerful booms have been heard from the west to the south as a band of turbulent weather passes overhead.

“What the hell just happened? Who forgot to let everyone know there was a storm coming,” one person posted to Facebook.

“It was probably the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard in my life,” another said.

“That lightning shook the whole whare,” was another post.

The Herald understands in West Auckland the thunder was so loud, emergency services were alerted to a possible explosion.

Sky TV also said its transmission was temporarily affected by “atmospheric conditions”.

MetService forecaster Alec Holden said a large thunderstorm was moving across Auckland.

While Auckland Airport saw around 4mm worth of rain within the last two hours, just under 21mm worth of rain fell on Whenuapai in West Auckland.

Holden said the region experienced an estimated five lightning strikes within the last hour.

He said a smaller batch of thunderstorms might come around midnight.

🌧 A band of rain is moving north
🟡 A Heavy Rain Watch is in force for the eastern Bay of Plenty 4pm today - 6am Tuesday
🌦 Showers over south Westland and Southland ease this evening
☀ Sunny for the rest of the South Island, as well as Wellington pic.twitter.com/X7BZmbxVcQ

— MetService (@MetService) December 9, 2024

Earlier on Monday, MetService upgraded the risk of thunderstorms in Auckland and the western Coromandel Peninsula tonight to “moderate”.

“A front with areas of rain moves slowly northwards over the central North Island today, while a strong unstable westerly flow covering the southern South Island slowly eases,” it wrote on its site.

“About Auckland, the western Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Bay of Plenty including Rotorua and the Kaimai/Mamaku ranges, northeast Taupo and Hawke’s Bay, the risk of thunderstorms is considered closer to moderate.

“If any thunderstorms do occur, they will be accompanied by rainfall rates of 10-25mm/h (or possibly a little higher).”

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