Thunderstorms shake up Auckland

Thunderstorms - you love them or you hate them. Me? Definitely love them. Yet I have good reason to hate them. It was a sudden thunderstorm that created a blast of wind that toppled my gum tree on to the big fence I'd just built. A year or so earlier at my parents place a boom of lightning above our house split a pine tree just a hundred metres or so from where we were sleeping.... It was still on fire the next morning. Finally when I was a kid, after the Edgecumbe earthquake when I lived in Te Puke, we had thunderstorms and aftershocks and no power all night...it was scary as hell but to this day I still love and crave thunderstorms, despite knowing their danger.

In America lightning kills more people than hurricanes on average. Seems incredible really.

I remember when I was a little kid being so scared of lightning. During the day, when I was at school, it was cool. But as a little boy in the middle of the night I would usually be scared or simply too tired to even wake up. Kids have an amazing ability to sleep through thunderstorms, especially if it's in the middle of the night well after they've gone to bed.

The lightning can be a bit frightening when it's so close it's blinding... but without a doubt it's that sharp cracking thunder above your house that rattles through every nook and cranny of your home shaking windows, walls, the bed, the floor and sending your dog in to overdrive. I have a 10 month old golden retriever - Harry - who, unlike my previous dog, wasn't scared of the thunder. In fact - he tried to defend my house by growling back at the thunder. It was funny - sometimes I couldn't work out if it was a distant rumble of thunder or Harry. Meanwhile my fat cat Elliot barely lifted his head. He's 5 years old so has been through his fair share. He doesn't get spooked easily.

I know other people don't have so much luck with their pets during thunderstorms. Like I said my previous golden retriever hated anything that boomed - thunder, fireworks, even guns in the distance. He'd get the trembles (may I point out they're supposed to be gun dogs!).

Overall last night I estimate there were around 3000 lightning strikes - possibly a little higher - all within a 4 hour period from about 9:30pm to 1:30am. Most of the thunder and lightning was contained across western Northland and north west Auckland. But really, the whole city got it at some point - as did parts of Waikato. A fun night for many, but a night of fear for some.

Thunderstorms aren't likely for the rest of today - or this week. However a large low is predicted to move from the Tasman Sea this weekend possibly bringing more torrential rain, strong winds and thunderstorms to northern and western New Zealand. We'll be watching it closely that's for sure. For further updates on today's weather news go to www.weatherwatch.co.nz.

Philip Duncan