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Video Captures Devastating Tornado in New Zealand

Posted on May 3, 2011 at 10:19am by Jonathon M. Seidl
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AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — A tornado ripped across part of New Zealand’s largest city on Tuesday, upturning cars and sending debris slicing through the air, witnesses and news reports said. At least one person was killed and about 20 injured, a hospital official said.

The swirling dark-gray column of air and cloud cut a 3-mile (5-kilometer) path across the Auckland suburb of Albany at mid afternoon, tearing off roofing iron, flattening trees and tossing vehicles around, police and witnesses said.

“There were kids in a car which turned upside down and they had to get help,” said Hamish Blair, whose golf supplies store was in the hardest-hit area. “There’s probably six or seven seriously damaged cars, and I saw cars flying off the ground about 30 meters (100 feet) in the air.”

The tornado first touched down in Albany and then passed through neighboring Birkenhead. Most of the serious damage was in Albany, where a shopping mall, a large hardware store and a supermarket were hit. Radio New Zealand reported that the roof of the Mega Center mall in Albany collapsed.

Paul Patton, a spokesman for North Shore Hospital, said one person had been killed and at least 20 injured.

Tornados are not uncommon in New Zealand, particularly on the country’s North Island, where Auckland lies. But they tend to be smaller than those seen in the U.S. Midwest. Auckland generally gets one or two tornadoes a year, according to New Zealand’s Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management.

New Zealand has been hit by several disasters in recent months, including a Feb. 22 earthquake that devastated the South Island city of Christchurch and killed at least 169 people.

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Comments (36)

dannzman
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 1:20pm
Crazy stuff!! I didn’t even know that this happened! and I live so close to where it took place!!
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cranberry
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:22am
Nasty.
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ChiefGeorge
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:20am
Thats funny thing about these tornados, they show up out of no where and within seconds the place looks like a War zone. How humbling!
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Wayner
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:18am
Does the Southern Hemisphere version of a hurricane (cyclone) also spin clockwise?
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- Stoic one
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:30am
  Yes
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Suchy
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:00am
I live just south of B’ham Al. Not even close to the power of the last one. A mile wide and on the ground over 80 miles.
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- bikermama
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 3:24pm
  actually the EF4 that cut through our area last week began in MS and finished up in GA and was on the ground for 200 Miles, it may be the longest on ground tornado recorded in modern times. And not only was it that one, but our state had an E F5 and at least 2 more EF4 plus dozens of smaller ones. I find it interesting that New Zealand got a tornado, but living 5 miles from downtown Tuscaloosa I get a bit peeved that our disaster is being overlooked. I wish we could get more media attention, so we could get more help. The local community is kicking butt right now, but we will need more donations for the long haul. Wish the American people would do for the south, what they did for previous disasters.
  Report Post »
trooper
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 10:40am
It’s is due to what is called the Coriolis Effect and differs from the northern to southern Hemipheres.
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trooper
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 10:31am
Am I mistaken, or is this a rare event over there? Anyone care to answer?
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- SingerGuy
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 10:41am
  I lived there for a couple of years in the late 70′s. I never saw a tornado, but I heard about some that happened before I got there. As the article says, they are much weaker than what we think of in the US.
  Report Post »
- Stoic one
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:28am
  Tornadoes can occur ANYWHERE with the right conditions. The US great plains are simply a perfect breeding ground for these storm systems. Just like India has the perfect conditions for monsoons.
  Report Post »
- Lyall
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 4:39pm
  They are not that rare, we’ve had a few small ones recently. One just over a week ago that took out power to the Central North Island, we came home and our garage door wouldn’t open. But I think the last big one was in 2006 or 2007 on the West coast which destroyed a Hardware store. But yes, my mother said that when they were growing up in the late 60s early 70s there were quite a few tornados.
  Report Post »
- nzkiwi
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 9:35pm
  As Lyall says, we have small ones, but one this size is rare. They are not nearly as common or as powerful as they are in the US – usually anyway.
  Report Post »
teddrunk
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 10:22am
Easy to see it’s a New Zealand tornado. It spins backwards like the water in their toilets.
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- Whiskey One Seven
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 10:33am
  LOL Nice man. Prayers headed their way.
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- LOOKING_BOTH_WAYS
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:01am
  It’s called…… The Coriolis Effect
  
  water in the N. Hemisphere goes down the drain Counter Clock wise
  and in the S. H. C. W. …….kinda cool really
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- teddrunk
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:23am
  LOOKING_BOTH_WAYS
  “It’s called…… The Coriolis Effect”,
  ______________________________________________________________________________________
  I thought that had to do with stimulating a lady’s…oh never mind.
  Report Post »
- Susan Harkins
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:29am
  Actually, you are quite correct — on both accounts.
  Report Post »
- Stoic one
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:41am
  Susan
  that is funny!
  Report Post »
- LOOKING_BOTH_WAYS
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:51am
  Ya Ted .. i found the word rather funny myself … lol
  Report Post »
- Showtime
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 12:04pm
  What happens at the Equator?
  Report Post »
- LOOKING_BOTH_WAYS
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 12:21pm
  Showtime
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 12:04pm
  
  What happens at the Equator?
  ………………………………………………………
  
  I was thinking the same thing…. Straight down maybe….. or back and forth like a washing machine …lol
  Report Post »
- Lyall
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 4:34pm
  A few years back we had a programme on here where well known people would travel around the world and show other kinds of life, I think it was called Intrepid Journeys. But someone went to the Equator with that question, and they put leaves in a big bowl or water with a plug at the bottom on the equator, they then pulled out the plug and the water went straight down. No spin at all!
  Report Post »
Showtime
Posted on May 3, 2011 at 10:22am
Kiwi, RUOK?
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- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:24am
  God, earthquakes and now tornados; nowadays we are seeing the phase of ‘nature going really mad’ with all the natural disaters hitting so much of the world at once. And no, it is not global warming and that garbage either.
  Report Post »
- Stoic one
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 11:25am
  Pray they recover quickly from this.
  
  Cool clockwise spin.
  Report Post »
- banjarmon
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 12:26pm
  Saw the same type damage in north-west Gerogia this past weekend.
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- grandmaof5
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 1:32pm
  Calling, NZKIWI, where are you and “ditto” SHOWTIME.
  Report Post »
- Okie from Muskogee
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 2:22pm
  I do hope NZKiwi is ok as well…Cant recall your city….Let us know your ok…
  Report Post »
- mikenleeds
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 2:47pm
  Read your king James bible in revaluations .. This is going to get much worst over the next 7 years so buckle down
  Report Post »
- stogieguy7
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 3:01pm
  Actually Stoic One, in the case of tornadoes, the hemisphere you’re in does not always dictate the spin direction. About 15% of tornadoes in the northern hemisphere do this, usually because the vertical wind profile favors a “backing” motion.
  
  That said, the really strong ones are usually cyclonic – and this one is an example of this but “backwards” to us.
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- My Sacred Honor
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 5:15pm
  I have KIWI’s 10-digit number, now how the hell do I dial New Zealand from a cell phone??
  ANYONE, PLEASE?
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- nzkiwi
  Posted on May 3, 2011 at 9:30pm
  I’m fine, thanks guys.
  That was in Auckland, towards the top of the North Island, I’m in the South Island. Nasty stuff. That’s the first one of these that I can remember in this country (of that size).
  
  I was in Oklahoma in 2001 and was right next to a bigger one, but no-one was killed in that one. I’m trying to get more details on this myself.
  Report Post »
- Okie from Muskogee
  Posted on May 4, 2011 at 3:11am
  @NZKiwi
  
  Glad you are ok!! It is tornado season here but that is every spring here in OK…Seems this year is part of the cycle in which many tornados are a lot stronger…Some seasons only a few and some seasons seems huge ones appear everyday….All in all one must stay on their toes during spring in OK…Stay safe!
  Report Post »
- nzkiwi
  Posted on May 4, 2011 at 4:37am
  Okie
  Whereabouts are you? I was working for a harvest company based in Mountain View and Hobart. I loved OK. Great place!
  Report Post »
- nzkiwi
  Posted on May 4, 2011 at 4:39am
  To all you guys, thanks for your concern. I really appreciate it.
  Report Post »

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