April was a… month

April may be “the cruellest month” in the Northern Hemisphere, but here downunder it’s in the middle month of autumn—no longer summer, but not yet winter, so maybe it that makes it the cruellest month for us, too? At any rate, this year’s April certainly wasn’t exactly the kindest month.

The first big storm to hit New Zealand was the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Vaianu, which struck the upper North Island the second weekend in April. Right up until it arrived, we weren’t sure how bad it would be, so preliminary watches and warnings were issued so that people could prepare. Having learned the lessons from 2023’s deadly Cyclone Gabrielle, many local governments declared preliminary states of emergency so they could respond faster to any horrible weather—well, apart from one charming fellow from the corner of the country hit the hardest by Gabrielle who refused to issue a “woke” state of emergency. Bet he’s a lot of fun at parties.

I planned on taking the same precautions I’d done for Gabrielle, and by Thursday the ninth, we were being urged to “take preparation seriously”. So, on Friday the first thing I did was to I put my rubbish and recycling wheelie bins in the garage (they were both empty, so prone to being blown around by the wind). I also put my patio table and chairs back under their cover because the wind was expected likely blow rain under the patio roof, and I felt that the cover would keep the table and chairs dry. That also gave me a place to stash the plastic bag of weeds I’ve been clearing from around the patio (off an on…) for weeks. I also did a quick check of my gutters (especially where the downspouts are) and the drain in my back lawn. I was 99% certain they’re all clear, and they were.

On Saturday, I got together with some of the family for lunch, and it was a mostly beautiful day. When I got back home, I moved the plants and doormat by my front door into the garage (for Gabrielle, I moved them into my entry way because at that time I didn’t have enough room in the garage). And that was it.

It was evening before the rain started, and it frankly wasn’t too bad. That’s because the storm was tracking further east than some projections showed, than that meant we were spared the worst of it. Even so, the entire North Island and the top of the South Island were all under some sort of watch or warning, something I don’t remember ever happening before.

That night, I woke up a bit after 1am and could hear what sounded soft rain. I could’ve thought to myself, “That’s it?! Pfft, why it’s just a bit of ordinary rain!” And that’d be the “common sense” reaction, wouldn’t it? Trouble is, storms have their own ways.

I woke up a couple more times during the night, same sort of more or less ordinary rain. I let Leo outside around 8:30 or so, and the rain had paused. I noticed that all the wood fence boards were thoroughly wet, a sign that the rain had been steady all night: When it’s not steady, parts of the fence will stay dry. I also noticed how warm it felt, warmer than the actual 21 degrees (69.8F). So, yet again, I was reminded that “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”

After that, the rain started and then paused many times, but always remained “ordinary” in its intensity—nothing like Gabrielle was, or even as bad as severe “ordinary” storms. This figures: Waikato was under a “Heavy Rain Watch” until 6pm Sunday evening, and that was the lowest level of warning.

The rain became a bit more intense around 11:30pm or so, but the biggest concern in the area I live wasn’t the rain as much as the wind: We were under an “Orange Strong Wind Warning” (where Red is life-threatening, Yellow is possible damage, and Orange is between the two). That was scheduled to last until around 3am.

The issue was that the winds change direction and intensify as the storm moves south, because the winds hitting us start coming from a westerly origin. That was expected to happen in the Hamilton area later Sunday afternoon.

As it happens, the storm’s easterly track meant it headed back out to sea more quickly than originally expected, and that, in turn, meant the wind warnings were cancelled well before the original expiry. While there were a few strong gusts, for the most part there was really nothing more than a bit if a stiff breeze around my house.

Most other areas of the country fared reasonably well, though not totally unscarred. There was surface flooding in the hardest-hit areas, and some land-slips and damage to roads, but no one was killed and, apparently, there were so serious injuries. The storm’s track, and rapid weakening, meant it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, but the warnings were heeded, and people (inlcuding me) were prepared. I hope this can be a model for future cyclones—because, thanks to climate change, there will inevitably be more.

That wasn’t the end of the weather woes, however, because the next week the Wellington region was hit with a huge storm that pretty much stuck over the region. The flooding was extensive, and a life was lost. The storm was so bad that it was compared to the 1976 Wellington Storm [see also: What made Wellington’s deluge so intense?, 1 News].

So, yeah: After the Easter weekend, April wasn’t exactly kind to New Zealand. Cruellest month? Well, that’s probably a bit premature: The year isn’t even half over yet.