Severe weather warnings and watches are in place across the country today amid wind, rain, snow and heavy swells. Wind gusts of up to 150km/h have been recorded in Wellington and the region remains under heavy rain and wind warnings until 7pm. Taranaki and parts of Marlborough are also under strong wind warnings, with gusts of 130km/h possible. Travellers are being told it is unlikely there will be any flights out of Wellington today as heavy rain and winds continue to batter the capital. Wellington
Airport’s Phil Rennie said late this morning there had been more than 60 cancellations. Air New Zealand’s chief operations officer, ground and inflight, Kate Boyer said strong winds were impacting the capital, with gusts exceeding 50 knots. “As a result, we have cancelled a number of domestic flights in and out of Wellington. Our teams are closely monitoring the conditions and will only operate flights when it is safe to do so. “Since yesterday, we have been offering added flexibility for customers travelling to or
from Wellington, allowing them to proactively change their flights free of charge. Passengers travelling today should check the Air New Zealand app or website for the latest information on their flight. MetService meterologist Braydon White said the strongest gusts should have passed by midday and would gradually ease into the afternoon. Cook Strait ferry sailings have been cancelled. It was closed between Princess St and Nelson St and crews were working to clear it. A detour is in place. Fire and Emergency NZ responded to
calls of trees coming down and damage to roofs in the area overnight. A strong wind warning remained in place for Taranaki until 4pm. Around 3500 Powerco customers across the North Island were without electricity, with most outages in Taranaki, Manawatū and Whanganui. More than 500 Wellington Electricity customers lost power about 7am. A spokesperson said power has been restored to all but 137 customers in Plimmerton and Pukerua Bay. Meanwhile, roads are again closed in the South Island due to snow and ice. SH
73 between Christchurch and the West Coast is closed between Springfield and Arthur’s Pass Village, as is SH 8 between Lake Tekapo and Twizel in the Mackenzie Basin.
severe weather warnings, Wellington, wind gusts, flight cancellations, Cook Strait ferry, Powerco, Wellington Electricity, snow and ice road closures, SH 73, SH 8, MetService