A Rare Phenomenon - Snow in Wellington


This is how it looked at the peak of the snowfall.

A RARE EVENT

IMG_3350

People here in NZ are calling this a "once in a lifetime" experience. Metereologists are saying that this event has not been experienced in this particular place (and others like Auckland) in the last 50 years and may never be repeated in the next 50 more years ahead.

It started as a mild threat of a "cold snap," then they started referring to it as an Antarctic/polar blast. By the time it ocurred it was being called a snow storm, the first in half a century. While people in the south, e.g. Christchurch, Dunedin, etc. are not strangers to snow, they've never seen it this severe. But for people of the north island, this was a surpirse - and a pleasant surprise to many since they've never experienced snowfall (not in the last 50 years at least), and not this heavy.

As faith would have it, I found myself right smack in the middle of this rare phenomenon, again. It seems I have a knack for that, i.e. I was also in the US (Sanfo) on the way to NYC when 911 happened. I'm not sure if it's luck or what but they certainly are rare instances and I can most definitely say: I was there!

Comments

  1. I saw this from the news..grabe no? climate change na talaga..

    I didn't know si Ida nasa NZ na rin..di ba si Zara lang?

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  2. Hi Nona. For the Kiwis specially those in the north island, the last few days were a bit difficult to manage, i.e. their cars did not have the appropriate wheels (with chains), heating was not really sufficient, streets were slippery, and the temperature was below 5 degrees. There were also a lot of power outages and people just realized that wood-fed burner is a necessity rather than a status symbol,

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  3. Ida has been here for some time pero bakasyon lang. Zara lang ang talagang taga-rito na. Ida's thinking of joining Zara here but nothing is definite yet.

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  4. I really thought of you when I saw this in the news!

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  5. Ha ha ha a snowman in the balcony!

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  6. Hi Lou. For the last six hours or so, the weather has become a bit mild. Nag melt na yung snow and the sun shows itself fromtime to time (pero for just a few minutes lang). But it is very cold. Indoor temp is 11 deg. And outside, with the wind chill, it's about 4 deg. Ang lamig-lamig pa din. Going out for pasyal is out of the question. Pero the weather daw will improve in the next few days. Hopefully, the weekend will be a fine time para mamasyal.

    Thanks for keeping me in mind.

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  7. I'm sure you're enjoying this weather with your daughters. Di nga lang makapasyal. Keep warm, my friend!

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  8. Chito, that's true, a broke down of the routine expectancy..it happened to England this winter too. Though European country, they have a mild winter than us.
    Schools were cancelled there, which never happens here, kahit na meters high ang snow, except na lang kung mag ice talaga ang railways or streets..which we are also prepared..like chemical salt spread on the streets.
    we have heating system, kasi we expect winter really that cold..

    what we are not prepared of is an extreme summer heat(which happened 2003-prolonged), we have no airconditioning system...if such extreme heat happens, it would be short only..we only have ventilators and turn them on the whole day..at least the isolation is good, so sa gabi not that hot..but it can be relatively hot din..so magulo din kami dito pag sobrang init na..

    haay...weather is so unpredictable and has a strong influence in our lives..

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  9. pababa kasi..tuto yan..madulas..

    I almost slip when I was pregnant then..buti nakakapit ako..

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  10. dapat yata may slide na lang sa gilid :-)

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  11. ikaw yata nagdala ng mga phenomenons na ganito sa unsuspecting na lugar na ito..hehehe

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  12. Hi Cat. Totoo nga na rare itong event na ito. Pero di ko naman
    siguro dala ang malas :-) Wala naman ako sa Japan ng mag-tsunami. Wala din ako sa Christchurch nung mag earthquake. If there is anything that I hope I could bring is good tidings, hehehe. Baka kasi magka biyahe din ako sa Cebu in the future, hehehe...

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  13. Hi Nons. Oo nga parang mas mahirap manirahan sa temperate countries kesa sa tropical katulad ng Pilipinas. Kahit mainit, meron naman aircon. At kung wala kang aircon sa bahay, halos kada kanto naman merong aircon na mall :-)

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  14. Hi Lou. The weather, ke searing hot or freezing cold pa yan, is really nothing compared to the warmth of the company of family.

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  15. correct..:) kaya di ba factor yang weather, kaya futuristic ang mga tao dito..otherwise, lagot..

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  16. well, I don't think you'd be back traveling in Japan coz your son isn't there anymore di ba?

    as for Christchurch, e di ka naman don talaga nag-vi-visit kc di naman yung daughter mo don nakatira...hehehe...

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  17. Opppss... buti na lang nga hindi...hindi ako pregnant, hahahaha....

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  18. Verrrry beautiful indeed, but verrrrry cold!

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  19. Oo nga eh. Pero since this is supposed to be a "once in a lifetime event," the slide won't be needed after this. By the way, the snow is now gone. It's been replaced by precipitation. Maya't maya umu-ulan. Pero yung parang ambon lang naman. Kaya lang basa pa rin. Ok lang sana kung basa lang. Ang problema, ang lakas pa din ng hangin. Sa loob ng bahay, it's currently 9 degrees. Siguro sa labas mga 3 or 4 deg. Tanghali pa yan.

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  20. Yup, perhaps those destinations are now off my list. Which reminds me, I have not posted photos of the trip to Christchurch and the other southern island destinations. I remember that it was the very first blog entry that I made here, i.e. trip to NZ.

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  21. naku, yun ang problem ko talaga..hangin..

    you can snow and rain as much dumped on me, wag lang mahangin..brrrr...

    keep warm!

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  22. with or without snow, ang ganda pag may slide kapag slope...parang nasa playground

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  23. Chito, parang naka-parking ka na permanently dyan sa gilid ng fire ah...

    siguro pwede ka nang magluto or toast ng marshmallow if di yan fake na fireplace :-)

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  24. Hahaha...it is a real fireplace. The flame is real but fueled by gas and wood is silica. Nevertheless, it serves the purpose. I'm sitting on one of the steps of a short stairway near the fire but a tempered glass keeps me safe from it. Maybe I'll try those marshmallows and perhaps some hotdogs, hehehe...

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  25. I meant sa fake fireplace is yung di wood/logs ginagamit :-)

    I seem to recall I've been in that kind of discussion before kc with Peachy Mommy and napunta pa nga kami sa picture she showed of fakes and reals...hehehe...

    bon apetit sa hotdogs and marshmallows...

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  26. Yes, the "wood" is actually made of silica kaya di sya na-aabo. Parang yun nga yung meron si Peachy (nasan na kaya yun). Halata naman, kasi ang napaka-orderly ng ayos ng wood. At sa wood-fed heater, mas malakas ang init.

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  27. You are so right. Basta kasama ang pamilya, kaya lahat yan, lamig man o init!

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