Thread by @althecat

It appears this pretty looking storm is doing some serious damage. Stay safe Ōtautahi.

And we have a live report from north Canterbury.

NOTE: This is not an official forecast. But it is alarming. It seems that that peculiar cloud formation is special in a number of rather alarming ways. [Image: @NOAA's GFS model forecast, latest run.]

The Euro @ECMWF model is saying pretty much the same thing. The scale is different so it doesn't look as bad. Both of these are till midday on Thursday.

Longer range forecasts show there's not a lot of relief in sight. A second big rain is due to arrive on Saturday. But Northland gets the worst of that.

Live coverage from the @NZStuff crew here >> stuff.co.nz/national/weath…

Official Met Service warnings here >> metservice.com/warnings/home

And live animations of the storm causing all this here >> zoom.earth/#view=-36.3,17…

Amazing effort to rescue the guy swept away in his car in this. Stuff's live coverage of this flooding event is superb >> stuff.co.nz/national/weath…

The cause of these #CanterburyFloods is remarkable.

This animation (Oz's Access-G Model) starts on Thursday at midday and runs to the end of the southern drama around midday on Tuesday. The water is coming from the tropics.

Here (Euro @ECMWF model) starts Saturday Morning and provides a closeup view through to the end. The moisture that comes in from the East circles up into Northland and then runs up the East Coast of the North Island.

Its definitely a freakish weather event. #CanterburyFloods

I have let this version (Canada's CMC Model) run to the end.Turns out something similar of tropical origins may be coming through next week. Albeit not nearly as impactful. A big wet westerly front running from Cape Reinga to Bluff. #CanterburyFloods.