Wild weather in Waikato

Well, those of you living in the central North Island will probably have some idea already of what I'm going to say, but, for those of you who don't, I'll start by saying that the weather here has been rather predictable this week.  We've had three tropical-style days in a row, with a fourth shaping up the same way already.

It goes like this.  6.30 am Wake up to a beautifully clear morning, temperatures perhaps slightly on the cool side, but not a cloud to be seen.   9 am. Beautiful morning, nice mild temperatures. 12 noon. A few clouds around, getting warm.  3 pm. Uncomfortably warm and hot  6 pm.  Yukky sticky feeling to it.  Watch those clouds build. 7 pm or so. Thunderstorms start, along with the rain.  9 pm (or later, as it was last night) Thunderstorms begin to fizzle out.    Not sure what it's like during the night, but its nice and clear again the next morning.

Last night's thunder was particularly impressive, if that's the right word.  It went on for about three hours, with the sky almost constantly lit up by lightning flashes. And lots and lots of rain. The house remained nice and dry, but some of the buildings at the university haven't - there's a very damp smell pervading the corridor at the moment and I hear rumours of some offices down the corridor from mine being flooded.

This weather is more reminiscent of the tropics. I've only spent a few days in Singapore, but pretty much this is the pattern of events that unfolds there most days.