A late afternoon thunderstorm plunged Tawa into gloom late today before pelting the area with rain. Between 4:45 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. rainfall rates briefly reached 72 mm/hr although only 9 mm fell. The thunderplump was just in time to dampen the spirits of end-of-week commuters as they headed home.
The thunderstorm was short-lived, but lively, and only minor disruptions to the electricity supply were observed.
Most importantly, the storm gives me the opportunity to use the wonderfully evocative word, thunderplump. I chanced across it in the erudite Frank Haden’s column in The Dominion Post on Wednesday January 11th. Haden writes that thunderplump means “a sudden heavy thunder-shower.” He says the word is of Scottish origin and is “… ideal for the sort of changeable holiday weather we’re getting.” I can only agree!
Tawa recorded 30 mm of rain yesterday, and an additional 3 mm early this morning. The thunderplump added 9 mm and intermittent rain has since added another 9 mm. By early evening today’s total has reached 21 mm, bringing the month’s rainfall to 59 mm – close to the monthly total for February last year (but records for Tawa are incomplete for February 2005, due to a system crash).
Said “Thunderplump” moved on into the Wellington CBD causing assorted havoc, including a false fire alarm at the Feathers Tavern, forcing the regulars out onto the pavement into the pouring rain, no doubt in violation of many WCC regulations 😉