Weather: Now you see it, not now, where did the Sky Tower go?

Auckland’s most iconic building was MIA this morning for many, something one resident described as “strange”.

Clouds and mist enveloped the Sky Tower this morning, making the city’s skyline appear to be in the 1980s before Auckland’s icon was built.

Gray Lynn resident Nadia Tolich says she generally has a clear view of the tower and that it was quite strange to see the entire structure shrouded in clouds.

“If and when fog or low clouds come, usually the top of the Sky Tower is hidden, not everything.”

It looks like a haze is sliding over the CBD, says Tolich.

“Meanwhile, the clear blue sky and the sun are warming Gray Lynn. It is certainly a city divided … by climate.”

So what really happened?

MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes says what is happening is not as dramatic as it seems.

Sea fog that has settled in the Hauraki Gulf area has been pushed over the city by north winds, McInnes says.

“It’s just warmer air that comes from the north that is cooled by a colder ocean and colder land. Above land, the fog breaks up very quickly because when the sun rises it heats the land very, very fast. water does not heat up nearly as quickly. If fog or cloud forms over the water, it usually takes a little longer. This is what happened in this case, it was possible to push a little.

The reason it stays around the Sky Tower is that it continually feeds on the north winds, he says.

He says, although the general situation is quite common, in this case: “They are the right ingredients that come together at the right time.”

And for those with Sky Tower’s The Sugar Club restaurant reservations who anticipate sky-high views of the city, there’s no need to cancel those reservations just yet.

McInnes says the cloud is breaking now.

“It’s taking a little while to dissolve and disperse. It’s getting up. It will be short-lived.”