22 May 2012

The weather with you

5/10/2011 11:26:00 a.m.

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WEATHER guru Bob McDavitt graduated with a degree in Maths and Computer Science from Victoria University of Wellington in 1974 and became a meteorologist. On his weather journey he’s produced marine, aviation and public forecasts. He’s also passionate about ocean voyaging and has worked on two America’s Cup campaigns. Since 1992 he has been a lively Weather Ambassador for the MetService…

Name: Bob McDavitt
Occupation: Weather Ambassador, MetService.
Age: 59
Place I call home: Where I sleep.
My passions are: Weather – in particular: clouds.  And star and planets, and ocean voyaging.
My hero is: Captain James Cook and the fictional Captain James Kirk.
If I were reincarnated I’d be: Sir Peter Blake.

Why are you passionate about the weather?
Weather is a wonderful mix of pattern and chaos. We can understand the patterns but they never repeat exactly. Weather also has a daily impact on our mood and behaviour, and what we do. If we could learn its rhythms and work within them, things would go a lot smoother.
You grew up in the capital. What are the key characteristics of Wellington weather? I remember reading the Arthur Mee Encyclopedia Mum had got for us kids and coming across B for the Beaufort code.  The page had diagrams describing various wind speeds.  For storm it had uprooted trees and the text “rarely experienced on land.” I looked outside at the 50 knots we were having that day and decided that Beaufort had never been to Wellington. Wellington’s key characteristic is that it copes with strong winds because anything that could get blown away already has been.
We still can’t believe it snowed in Wellington. What was going on there? Weak roaring 40s at the coldest time of the year. Arrange for a Low to depart to south and east of NZ and then to stall. Then bring in and build an intense high-pressure system over or just south of Tasmania. Then stir like an eggbeater.  That’s the recipe and it’ll make snow in Wellington every time.  Since it requires a High to build south of Tasmania, you’ll only find this recipe in the La Nina cookbook, not the El Nino cookbook.
Air pollution is rarely a problem in Wellington. Why else should we embrace the wind? Wellington harbour is usually sheltered from the larger ocean swells but often has a spirited wind – this combination is great for sailboats.  Wind can be used as a natural resource. As for reading the weather - did you know that the wind through Cook Strait (and hence in Wellington) responds quickly to any change in weather in the entire Tasman Sea, so reading it is like reading a large weather map with a detective’s magnifying glass?
Spring has sprung! What can we expect for the next six weeks? A prolificacy of highs. The anticyclones on the weather map are likely to be seen more than normal and are likely to cross the Tasman Sea and may linger when east or southeast of NZ.  The rambunctious westerly quarter winds of the roaring 40s should still have their own days to do their stuff, but overall impact could be for fewer than normal of those gusty wet days winds.  And a polar blast can occur in any month of the year.
What’s the most memorable New Zealand weather event of the past year? The storm surge in Auckland on 23 Jan 2011, when the sea flooded inland along the coast, with strong winds and tides. And the snowy Wellington August.
Do you ever refrain from looking at forecasting the weather just to get a wee surprise when you wake up in the morning? The more data you have the better your learning curve.
What’s your favorite weather? Camelot.
Are you looking forward to summer? I like summer humidity, and Auckland/Northland are good places to deliver this - but I’m not fond of mosquitoes. I like my daily temperature range to be between 15 and 30 C.
When it’s sunny I like to: Visit a beach. I do NOT like UV, but yes, I do like sunshine.  
My next project is: To be the weather guide for Australian yachtsman Maurice Contessi as he sails around the world solo non-stop, raising funds for seeking a cure to motor neurone disease.
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Cover Story

Best of Wellington 2011

Briefs

  • A question of nutrition

    Controversial Washington-based nutritionist Sally Fallon-Morell is to speak in Wellington on March 29.
    Fallon-Morell is the co-founder of the American food lobby group the Weston A. Price Foundation and the author of Nourishing Traditions. She advocates for the consumption of nutritionally dense foods such as lacto-fermented vegetables, stocks and broths, and whole raw dairy products.
    Fallon-Morell will speak at St Patrick’s College Hall on March 29.

  • Relay for cancer

    Organisers say Sunday’s Relay for Life is full to capacity with hundreds of Wellingtonians registered for the event.
    A total of 88 teams, made up of 10 to 500 members, plan to take part with a further 25 teams on the waiting list.
    The 24 hour relay, the Cancer Society’s biggest fundraising event of the year, takes place at Frank Kitts Park from 4pm on March 31.

  • Osteoarthritis awareness

    Arthritis New Zealand has launched a nationwide campaign raise awareness about osteoarthritis. 
    Arthritis is New Zealand’s leading cause of disability, affecting 305,000 adults, and osteoarthritis is its most common form.
    The campaign features television commercials and an interactive website.


  • Wild walk

    Take part in the Big Walk at Zealandia on March 31.
    Walkers can choose a two, five or 10 kilometre walk catering to all fitness levels.
    Money raised will go to the Foundation for Youth Development.

  • School pool

    The opening of the new Khandallah School pool this week means hundreds of children will be able to continue their swimming lessons.
    The pool was the first to receive a grant from Wellington City Council’s Schools Pools Partnership Fund, a fund set up in 2010 to help schools improve their pool facilities.
    Grants from the fund have also been made for pools at Wellington East Girls’ College, Barhampore School and Tawa School.

  • Easter bikers

    Motorcyclists are invited to get on their bikes and collect Easter eggs for families support from the Wellington City Mission.
    The charity run on April 1 is organised by motorcycle lobby group BONZ.
    Eggs can be donated at Red Baron Motorcylces in Alicetown. The registration fee for bikers is $10, plus the cost of Easter eggs.

  • Crafty

    Made on Marion opens on the site of the former Golding Handicrafts site in Marion St, from April 1.  They will continue to supply craft materials.

  • Ze upgrade

    Taranaki Street fuel users will notice that the Z Energy’s former Shell Service Station is closed.  Z are doing a “total revamp”.
    The job will take four weeks.

  • Newlands Moves

    Developer Ayal Aharoni has agreed to build only 90 instead of 220 houses on his six and a half hectares above Ngauranga Gorge in Newlands.  Only low density occupation will be allowed on the remaining 8.4 hectares.


  • Baring Head

    There's a new  draft plan out for what should happen at Baring Head.  It outlines how the Greater Wellington Regional council would like to manage the newest addition to its regional parks network. Grazing animals will go, motorised vehicles will be prohibited, predators will be controlled, and the lighthouse will be preserved. Submissions are invited.


  • It’s a wonder

    A new childcare centre in Newtown says it is dedicated to helping kids grow up healthy in mind, body and spirit. Little Wonders Childcare on Rintoul Street is an independent early childhood education and learning centre, the sixth centre to be opened by its Auckland-based owner. It caters to 100 children aged between three months and five years old and has been open for a little more than seven weeks.

  • Festival treats

    CHILDREN have not been forgotten by organisers of the New Zealand International Arts Festival.
    For a perfect first theatrical experience White tells the story of friends Cotton and Winkle who live in a world where there is no colour and everything is startlingly white. That is until a brightly coloured egg tumbles out of the sky and changes their world for ever.
    White plays at Capital E from March 7-11.
    The tale of Peter and the World also promises to be a magical night for all ages. Sergei Prokofiev’s classic children’s tale is told through film and live music from the NZ Symphony Orchestra at the Michael Fowler Centre on March 9.
    March 11 is Young Writers and Readers Day and readings from children’s writers and illustrators Lynley Dodd and Gavin Bishop.

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